Tesla to allow Chinese car owners access to data

U.S. electric car maker Tesla will allow owners in China to access data generated by their vehicles.

Tesla, which makes Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport-utility vehicles at its Shanghai factory, aims to launch the new data platform this year.

It will be the first time an automaker has allowed customers access to car data in the world's biggest auto market.

Manufacturers have increasingly been equipping vehicles with cameras and sensors to capture images of a car's surroundings.

Controlling the use, sending and storage of these images is a challenge for regulators around the world.

China last month published draft rules on the issue.

In April a Tesla customer, angry over the handling of her complaint about malfunctioning brakes, climbed on top of a Tesla car in protest at the Shanghai auto show.

Tesla then complied with a local authority order to provide the data related to the brake incident to the customer.