Tesla’s social media team in China has taken to Weibo to shoot down rumours the Model 3 made at Giga Shanghai could soon be getting a new battery.
Last week rumours began to circulate in China that the locally produced Model 3 would soon be getting the new M3P battery from CATL. Citing two anonymous sources, Sina Tech reported the new battery would give the Model 3 extra range, possibly as much as 10%.
That report followed another by LatePost earlier in the month stating that CATL would start supplying the new 72kWh batteries to Tesla China in the fourth quarter of 2022.
According to Tesla China, both reports are false and the automaker has no current plans to introduce a new battery to any of their vehicles built at Giga Shanghai, including their own 4680 cells.
In a post on the social media platform Weibo, Tesla is asking for help in identifying the source of these rumours so that they can take appropriate action against them for attempting to mislead consumers.
“The recent hype by some individuals and self-media about “Tesla is about to change its model” is completely a rumor that deliberately misleads consumers. I hope everyone can provide us with clues, and we will hold the rumour-mongers accountable,” Tesla said on Weibo (translated from Chinese, via CnEVPost)
Tesla has taken a very strict approach to people who attempt to spread false rumours about the company in China. Earlier this year they sued a social media influencer for defamation over claims made about brake malfunctions.
The automaker has also sued at least two owners who publicly demanded compensation for alleged safety issues, as well as sent cease-and-desist letters to influencers making similar claims.
