Tesla Wuhan Showroom Reopens After Outbreak Lockdown

Tesla’s showroom at Wuhan, the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak, has officially been reopened. The announcement was shared by Vice President of Tesla Global Grace Tao on Weibo.

In her post, the Tesla VP stated that she received a video from one of her colleagues in Wuhan, located in Hubei Province, China. According to Tao, the Tesla Guoguang Store officially resumed operations, and it marked the first time in two months that workers in the area were able to return to their jobs.

Included in the Tesla executive’s post was a video taken of the Wuhan store, which has a white and blue Model 3 on display. Based on the clip, there seemed to be very few people outside the outlet, but the fact that the Guoguang store has been reopened bodes well for Tesla China as a whole.

Tesla China has been closely affected by the onset and eventual outbreak of the coronavirus, which has now spread across the globe. Following the Spring Festival in late January, Tesla China’s operations were disrupted by the spread of the C19 virus. The Wuhan Tesla Store was among the first sites that felt the effects of the illness, particularly as the area was the epicenter of the outbreak.

Fortunately for Tesla, it largely avoided the adverse effects of the coronavirus, even in its massive Gigafactory Shanghai facility. Following a government-mandated closure, Giga Shanghai reopened and gradually resumed its operations. It was only a matter of time before the electric car production facility was producing the Made-in-China Model 3 for the local Chinese market once more.

China is now restarting its auto market, which means that Tesla has a lot of opportunities in the country. By producing cars locally at Giga Shanghai, Tesla can practically position itself as a valuable local carmaker, and one that provides vastly-needed electric vehicles for the country to boot. This is why the reopening of the Tesla Store at Wuhan is so important. It shows that Tesla China is fully back and rearing to get back to its pace. 

Featured Image Credit: Grace Tao-Lin/Weibo