Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles will be on display at a delivery event at the factory in Shanghai, China, on January 7, 2020.
Aly Song | Reuters
BEIJING – A Tesla Model 3 detonated in an underground parking garage in Shanghai on Tuesday, Chinese media reported.
No people were injured in the fire, Tesla said in a statement to Chinese media. Preliminary analysis indicates that the accident was caused by a collision to the underside of the car, the automaker added in the reports.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. It was not immediately clear whether the affected Model 3 was a locally made or imported version.
Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) said it did not create the battery pack for the car that spontaneously ignites, according to Chinese media.
Scattered accident reports
A number of Tesla cars have exploded over the years, including in the US.
In April 2019, Tesla sent a team to investigate the apparent explosion of one of its parked vehicles in Shanghai.
Elon Musk’s electric cars have been under scrutiny in China for other reasons, such as their self-driving technology. Earlier this month, state-owned Economic Information Daily said in a commentary that there were at least 10 reports of drivers losing control of their Tesla vehicles in China in 2020.