TOKYO (Reuters) - US electric car maker Tesla said on Monday it had sent a team to investigate a video clip of a Chinese social media vehicle that exploded a Tesla sedan while it stopped.
The video was widely shared on the Chinese Webbo platform similar to Twitter, and the "Tesla Self-Burning" label became one of the most widely read on Webbo, having received more than five million views.
The scene showed smoke rising from the hood of the Tesla sedan before it exploded and ignited it, damaging surrounding cars. The timing on the section showed that the incident took place on Sunday evening.
Reuters could not confirm the source of the video clip, which Webbo's users said was filmed in Shanghai.
"After we discovered this incident in Shanghai, we immediately sent a team to the site, and we are now in contact with relevant departments to understand the situation," said Tesla on her official account on Webbo.
The incident comes as Tesla is trying to revive sales in China, which have been hit hard by trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.
The company is currently importing all the cars it sells in China but is building a factory in Shanghai that will make Model 3 cars in the first stage and help minimize the impact of trade war and tariffs.