Tesla Inching Closer To Launch Cybertruck In China? EV Giant Makes Regulatory Filing After Shooting Down Rumors

Tesla Inc. TSLA has spurred speculation about the Cybertruck being introduced in China by reportedly filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) to measure the energy consumption of the stainless steel truck.

What Happened: Tesla received an Automobile Energy Consumption Label on Wednesday, according to a report by CnEVPost. The vehicle is classified as an M1 passenger vehicle in MIIT’s database with a range of 618 kilometers (384 miles.)

The filing has again spurred speculation of the stainless steel truck being sold in the country. However, the Automobile Energy Consumption Label is just one among the many compliance requirements to sell a vehicle mode in China, the report noted.

Tesla started delivering Cybertrucks to customers in the U.S. on Nov. 30, 2023. Since then, the company has also started delivering the vehicle to customers in Canada and Mexico.

The company took the Cybertruck for a spin around China earlier this year as part of a tour but is yet to begin selling it in China. While Tesla's China website lists the Cybertruck among the company's several EV offerings, customers from the country cannot order it.

Why It Matters: Getting approvals for the stainless steel vehicle on roads would be difficult in China, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in January, without explaining why.

The Cybertruck is currently manufactured only at the company's gigafactory in Texas, meaning that if Tesla chooses to sell it in China, it would have to be imported into the country like the company's other pricier EV offerings Model S and Model X.

Tesla's gigafactory in Shanghai only makes the company's lower-priced mass-market offerings Model 3 and Model Y.

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Photo courtesy: Tesla