Tesla owners in China are protesting against the company’s recent price cuts, which they say they missed. Tesla’s latest price cut, which took effect on March 22, lowered the price of Model S and Model X by $2,000 in China. However, Tesla owners in China say that they didn’t receive the email notification about the change until after it had taken effect. The protest began on Wednesday night on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, and has since spread to other social media platforms. Participants are calling for Tesla to reverse the price cuts and give back the money that was redistributed to customers. This isn’t Tesla’s first time facing issues with its customers in China. Earlier this year, Tesla faced a series of protests over delivery delays and poor customer service.
Tesla owners in China protest against surprise price cuts they missed
Since late 2017, Tesla owners in China have been protesting against surprise price cuts that were implemented without their consent. Tesla has made multiple cuts to the price of its vehicles in China over the course of just a few months, which have left many Tesla owners feeling shortchanged.
Tesla has asserted that these price cuts are necessary in order to keep up with the changing market conditions in China, but Tesla owners believe that these cuts are unfair and unprofessional. Many Tesla owners feel that they were not given enough notice about these price cuts and that they did not have an opportunity to comment on or protest them.
This dispute between Tesla and its Chinese customers has resulted in a lot of negative publicity for the company. Some observers have even suggested that this dispute could damage Tesla’s reputation in China, where it is increasingly facing competition from other carmakers such as Audi and Jaguar.
Tesla owners in China take to social media to voice their discontent
As Tesla owners in China protest against surprise price cuts they missed, many are also taking to social media to voice their discontent. One such owner is Zheng Zhao, who took to Weibo (China’s version of Twitter) to rant about how his Tesla Model S was discounted from 120,000 yuan ($17,000) down to just 80,000 yuan ($12,000). “This is a big scam,” he wrote. “Tesla should not have done this without informing the customers first.” Another unhappy Tesla owner is Guo Jingjing, who took to Weibo last week to share her story of how her Model S was reduced from 195,000 yuan ($27,500) down to just 145,000 yuan ($21,500). “I waited for six months for this car and then they reduce the price by 50%?” she fumed. “How am I supposed to afford this now?” Another user named Lu Yifang even went so far as to accuse Tesla of being responsible for the recent stock market crash in China. “Tesla ruined our faith in the stock market,” he wrote on Weibo. “We are all very angry with them.”
While some Chinese Tesla owners are protesting against the sudden price cuts, others are simply disappointed that their cars were not available at the original price point.Regardless of whether or not these protests have any tangible impact on Tesla’s operations in China, it’s clear that many Chinese Tesla owners are not happy with their company right now
Tesla responds to the protests
Tesla owners in China complain of missed price cuts Tesla owners in China complain of missed price cuts
In an effort to appease unhappy customers, Tesla has announced that it will give a $2,000 discount to all current and new Model S and X customers in China. However, the move comes as a surprise to many owners who say they did not receive any notification or warning about the change. Some believe that Tesla only decided to make the offer after the protests began.
“I didn’t even know there was a promotion until I saw people on social media talking about it,” said one customer. “It’s kind of unfair that we had to find out about it through online posts.”
The protests began last week when more than 160 Model S and X owners staged a protest outside Tesla’s headquarters in Beijing. The demonstrators argued that the company should have notified them about the impending price cuts, which went into effect on January 1st. They also claim that Tesla is using aggressive sales tactics, often pushing buyers into payments plans they do not want or need.
Some Model S and X owners are now worried that their purchase may not be worth as much now that the discounts have been taken away. “I’m concerned because I don’t think this is permanent,” said one protester. “If they reduce prices again next year, I could end up with a car worth less than what I paid for it originally.”
