Tesla owners in China can soon play mahjong and poker in cars

The electric vehicle maker is betting big on Chinese consumers as production takes off in its Shanghai gigafactory

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Tesla says this will be the first time that it offers internet-connected games. (Picture: Tesla via Weibo)

Published: 6:11pm, 20 Dec 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Tesla says it’s bringing games and streaming videos to its in-car touchscreens in China next quarter. The over-the-air software update will give users access to three Tencent games -- including mahjong and poker -- as well as video platforms Bilibili and Alibaba’s Youku.

(Abacus is a unit of the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba.)

Drivers elsewhere can already play a slate of titles on Tesla Arcade, a global game hub that launched earlier this year. They can also watch YouTube and Netflix, both of which are unavailable in China. But no matter where you are, you can only play games or watch videos when the car isn’t moving.

Wooing Chinese customers is important for Tesla, which saw revenue plunge in the US last quarter for the first time in two years. Sales in China, on the other hand, rose more than 60%. The electric car maker built its first Gigafactory outside of the US in Shanghai, which is making a cheaper version of Model 3 cars for Chinese consumers.

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