Authorities have shown their suspicion with models that have numerous cameras, although they limit themselves to saying that these are measures of "national affairs".
Fear of spying? For at least two months from July 1, Tesla cars will be banned from entering the Chinese coastal district of Beidaihe, home to a secret annual conclave of Chinese government leadership, a local traffic police chief told the Reuters last Monday (04/07).
Chengdu's restrictions on Tesla cars, which have not been officially announced, came to light after videos were posted on social media in which police diverted Tesla cars from certain areas.
Check the video below
The Chinese authorities' decision comes just weeks after Tesla cars were also banned from some streets in the central city of Chengdu in early June, which coincided with a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the city.
The head of the Beidaihe Traffic Police Brigade, who declined to be named, did not agree with the Chinese regime's move, but said it was "national matters". The person in charge said an announcement will be made soon.
Beidaihe, a beach resort east of Beijing, traditionally hosts a summer conclave of senior Chinese leaders, where officials' moves and policy ideas are discussed behind closed doors. China generally does not formally announce meeting dates.
All data generated by Tesla cars sold in China is stored in the country.
Last year, the Chinese military banned Tesla cars from its complexes, citing security problems due to cameras installed in the vehicles, the agency said. Reuters at the time, citing sources who had seen the directive.
Elon Musk then went on to say that Tesla cars didn't spy on China, or anywhere else, and that the company would be shut down if they did. Months later, Tesla said all data generated by the cars it sells in China would be stored in the country.
Car manufacturers are increasingly equipping their vehicles with cameras and sensors that capture images of the car's environment. Controlling how these images are used and where they are sent and stored is a rapidly emerging challenge for industry and regulators around the world.
Tesla cars have several external cameras to help drivers with parking, changing lanes and other functions.
(With information from Reuters / By Zhang Yan, Brenda Goh and Kevin Huang)
