Tesla responds to viral video of exploding car with video of its own

This article originally ran in 2019 and is part of our annual countdown of the most-viewed stories from PR Daily.

Tesla is fighting fire with video.

Reports of its electric cars igniting and burning are plaguing the company and its renegade CEO, Elon Musk.

A video—as yet not verified—of one of its Model S electric cars erupting in flames in a Shanghai car park has gone viral, first on Chinese social media and then globally on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/ShanghaiJayin/status/1119997229530406913

https://twitter.com/ShanghaiJayin/status/1120000493625806848

Tesla responded both on Chinese social media and in statements to news outlets covering the incident.

https://twitter.com/ShanghaiJayin/status/1120159315069820928

Fast Company reported:

In an emailed statement to news outlets, a Tesla China spokesperson said, “We immediately sent a team onsite and we’re supporting local authorities to establish the facts. From what we know now, no one was harmed.” It should be noted that the video has yet to be verified as authentic. However, last week a parked Tesla in Pennsylvania caught fire in the garage of an owner’s home.