Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) said on Tuesday that Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings Ltd 0700.HK has invested $1.78 billion in the electric carmaker for a 5 per cent stake.

Tencent, best known for its WeChat mobile app, has been investing in a number of sectors, including gaming, entertainment, cloud computing and online financing.

Tencent now owns more than 8 million shares in Tesla as of March 24, the carmaker said, making the Chinese company one of its biggest shareholders. 

Elon Musk-led Tesla has been raising capital as it readies for the launch of its mass-market Model 3 sedan.

The company raised about $1.2 billion by selling common shares and convertible debt earlier this month.

Musk is Tesla's top shareholder, with a stake of about 21 per cent as of Dec. 31.

Tesla's shares were up 1.7 per cent at $274.76 in premarket trading on Tuesday.