Tesla Inc TSLA CEO Elon Musk on Saturday tempered expectations of the Cybertruck launching soon in China.
Mixed Signals from Musk: A Tesla owner and shareholder from China on Saturday noted rumors of the Cybertruck arriving in China as a store display. The vehicle has significant interest surrounding it in China and would be a viral sensation on Chinese social media if displayed, the individual said.
“I’m in a Chinese Cybertruck chat group of almost 500 members & all have Cybertruck preorders. I’m sure many would be stoked to see the real thing,” the Tesla shareholder said.
In response, Musk said that the rumor could be realized by displaying prototypes. However, getting approvals for the stainless steel vehicle on roads would be difficult in China, the CEO said, without explaining the reason.
Implications and Roadblocks: Tesla started delivering to customers in the U.S. in late November. The vehicle is currently limited to the American market.
In December, Tesla’s chief engineer told TopGear that the vehicle would find it hard to get approval in Europe. The external protrusions on the vehicle will pose a hindrance to getting through EU safety rules aimed at pedestrian protection, they said.