US electric carmaker Tesla Motors Inc appealed to China to extend to it incentives for new-energy vehicles, as it hopes to reap sales in China.

"We understand we don't qualify for direct subsidies (in China)," Diarmuid O'Connell, Tesla's vice-president of business development, told Bloomberg on Monday. "We're hoping the government will consider the role Tesla can have in catalyzing electric vehicle adoption in China and extend those incentives to Model S as well."

China's Ministry of Finance was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.