Tesla to issue software updates for 435,000 cars in China over marker light issue


FILE PHOTO: Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles are seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song

(Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) will issue software updates for more than 435,000 vehicles in China to fix an issue with side marker lights that could in extreme circumstances lead to a collision, a regulatory body said.

The fix, which counts as a recall, will be issued by an over-the-air update.

It covers 142,277 Model 3 cars and 292,855 Model Ys, according to a statement by the State Administration for Market Regulation. The electric vehicle giant also recalled more than 80,000 Model S, Model X and Model 3 cars last week in China for software and seat belt issues.

Separately, Tesla’s retail sales in China nearly doubled in the Nov. 1 to Nov. 27 period from a year earlier, brokerage data showed, after the company cut prices for the Model 3 and Model Y and offered incentives.