Tesla’s China deliveries account for over half of the company’s global sales, and now Chinese Tesla fans who still can’t stretch to a Model 3 despite recent price cuts have a new way to put one of the company’s EVs in their garage. And it’s one not available in North America.
Yes, it’s the Cyberquad, the Tesla we all forgot about, and which wasn’t really a Tesla anyway because it was made by China’s Feishen Vehicle Industry Co and was imported by Radio Flyer, the U.S. company famous for its red toy wagons. As its full name suggested, the Cyberquad for Kids previously sold in the U.S. was intended for children aged 8-12 and has a weight limit of 150 lbs (68 kg).
Now billed in China as the ‘Cyberquad toy car’, at least according to Google’s translation of the sales page on China’s Tesla retail website, the machine has 350 W motor delivering a top speed of 5 mph (8 km/h) in the highest of its two gears, an 8-mile (13 km) range and a 188 Wh battery that takes 1.5 hours to charge.
Related: Tesla Cyberquad For Kids Recalled After Adult Tipped Over And Bruised Herself
The same Cyberquad heading for China’s customers was recalled in the U.S. last year after authorities ruled that it “fails to comply with the federal mandatory safety standard requirements for youth ATVs”. The recall was initiated after a 36-year old woman bruised her shoulder when the $1,900 quad tipped over while she and an eight-year old child were riding it, though the machine was only designed to be ridden solo.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the ATV didn’t meet safety standards related to its mechanical suspension and maximum tire pressure. It went on to say the electric Cyberquad “lacks a CPSC-approved ATV action plan, which is required to manufacture, import, sell, or distribute ATVs.” Radio Flyer offered to refund the $1,900 purchase price provided that owners first sent in their quad’s drive motor to prove it had been disabled.
