Tesla strives to build a fully functional company with "Chinese genes " in China, the company's vice president Grace Tao told thepaper.cn in an interview on Saturday.
She said the China R&D center will not just make small changes to existing models but will design great products from scratch.
"We believe that all innovation should start from the very roots, and it can't simply be called Chinese design by adding some Chinese elements to the exterior." She said, adding that "these products, designed and developed by China, will not only supply the Chinese market but also hopefully be sold to the global market in the future."
On January 15, Tesla announced that it would set up a design research and development center in China to recruit excellent design talents and create original "Chinese style" Tesla vehicles.
In July this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, Tesla in China to carry out a lot of original engineering development, not simply the United States directly copy the things to China, but in China to carry out the original design and original engineering development.
China-made Model 3 has been successfully exported to Europe. Last month, Tesla's Shanghai Super Factory officially launched its vehicle export business to more than ten European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and Switzerland.
Tesla starts exporting China-made Model 3, first shipment to Europe expected next Tuesday
Tesla is investing more and more in the Chinese market because of its confidence in the country. The company expects that by the end of 2020 in mainland China's experience stores and service centers will be more than 180, covering more than 50 cities nationwide.
By the end of 2020, Tesla will also have built nearly 650 supercharging stations, including about 5,000-plus DC charging stations, as well as more than 2,000 destination charging stations covering more than 250 cities.
By the end of 2020, Tesla expects to have more than 7,000 supercharging and visual charging stations, covering all major cities and inter-city connections across the country.
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