Exploding Tesla Goes Viral On Mainland

Tesla says it has started an investigation after a video circulating in China showed one of its cars suddenly burst into flames in a carpark in Shanghai.

The security camera footage has become on the hottest topics on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform since it was posted on Sunday, now viewed 22 million times with the hashtag "Tesla self-ignites".

The video shows white smoke emerging from under what appears to be a Tesla Model S car seconds before bursting into flames. Other footage shows that the fire destroyed an Audi next to it.

It is the latest incident to hit Tesla this year, just as it is stepping up its presence in China.

In January, the company recalled over 14,000 Model S cars in China to replace potentially dangerous airbags made by Japan's Takata.

In March, a labelling mistake made Shanghai customs temporarily suspend clearance for a batch of Tesla's cars.

The company is building its first overseas car factory in Shanghai to ramp up annual production, tapping into the world's biggest auto market and avoiding some of the impact of Sino-US trade tensions. (AFP)