Gavin Newsom Takes A Spin In Tesla's Refreshed Model 3 At Chinese Gigafactory After Praising Rival

Days after showering praise on BYD's ultra-luxury Yangwang U8 extended-range EV, California Governor Gavin Newsom took a tour of Tesla Inc‘s TSLA gigafactory in China and even took a drive of the new, refreshed Model 3.

What Happened: The working model of Tesla’s Shanghai gigafactory has benefited both China and the United States, Newsom said, as reported by China’s state news agency Xinhua.

Commending the coworking between the two nations, Newsom reportedly said, “The advantages here are self-evident, not only in terms of the supply chains but also the technology in terms of improving quality constantly. That is beneficial to both countries, certainly to the state of California.”

Newsom also touted autonomous driving as the future, Xinhua said.

Why It's Important: Newsom's California has been leading the EV revolution in the U.S., with the state setting a timeline of 2035 for fully transitioning new vehicles sold in the state to EVs.

Only last week, it was reported that Newsom took a ride of Yangwang U8 and was impressed by its tank turn feature which allows the vehicle to turn 360 degrees on spot.

"This is another leap in the technology, I mean, next level leap," the governor then said.

BYD and Tesla are close rivals in the EV industry with BYD trumping its U.S. rival in total sales numbers. However, it is worth noting that BYD's new energy vehicles include both hybrid and battery electric vehicles (BEV) unlike Tesla which solely makes BEVs.

Photo courtesy Sheila Fitzgerald on Shutterstock.com

Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Offers To Solve $8.2B SF Downtown Rail Extension Problem For Just 1% Of Cost