Tesla Inc. has issued back-to-back mea culpas in a matter of days in China, showing deference to government authorities in stark contrast with CEO Elon Musk’s years of combativeness in the U.S.
Shortly after state media broke the news Monday that five Chinese regulators had summoned Tesla representatives over several quality and safety issues, the company pledged to strictly abide by Chinese laws and regulations and strengthen internal management. Last week, the carmaker said it was sorry that a staff member blamed the national grid for damaging a customer’s electric vehicle.
Musk, 49, has been much feistier back home.
When the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued the CEO over his 2018 tweets claiming to have “funding secured” to take Tesla private, Musk lashed out, calling it the “Shortseller Enrichment Commission” and saying he did not respect the agency.
He also hung up on the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board earlier…