Tesla's restyled Model 3 sedan enters show at Beijing trade fair

Tesla launched its redesigned, China-built Model 3 sedan car a day earlier in a number of nations, and it debuted to the general public for the first time at a trade expo in Beijing.

At the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the US manufacturer debuted a flame red variant of the vehicle, marking the first modification to its mass-market car lineup since it introduced its current best-seller, the Model Y, in 2020.

In addition, the debut of the new Model 3 highlights the automaker's growing reliance on China, where it is competing with BYD for market share. This is the first time the company has released a vehicle in China before the United States.

It will also be shipped to other countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East via Tesla's Shanghai manufacturing facility. A rear display for passengers in the backseat was one of its new features that appeared targeted at Chinese buyers.

"I came to the fair to learn more about the car's debut," said a 22-year-old university student called Guo as he examined the car.

Features he liked included upgrades to the car's audio system and the rear display, he added. "People in the back seat may not feel so bored while riding in the car."

Another customer who stopped by the Tesla exhibit but only identified herself as Hu said she wasn't sold on the product enough to make an order.

"There's no special reason (to buy Tesla), because now there are so many new energy vehicles," she said.

The new vehicle will also be displayed at the Munich auto show, which opens on Tuesday, according to Tesla.