Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🚗 Tesla is reportedly moving forward with plans to introduce its Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite in China, according to a local report.
- 🇨🇳 Observations from Tesla watchers and an owner’s manual update on Tesla China’s website hint at FSD Beta’s potential entry into the Chinese market.
- 🌐 Chinese government departments have indicated that vehicles with Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous capabilities could be allowed for road tests in limited areas, aligning with Tesla’s FSD capabilities.
- 🏭 Tesla has laid the groundwork for FSD in China, establishing a data center in Shanghai and assembling FSD operations and data labeling teams.
- 🛣️ Despite preparations, challenges like data collection qualifications and the availability of supercomputing centers need addressing before FSD can be officially released in China.
Tesla is reportedly moving forward with plans to introduce its Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite in China, as per a recent local report. FSD is Tesla’s most advanced driver-assist system, capable of navigating both highways and inner city roads.
FSD’s entry into the Chinese market has been speculated for some time. Just recently, observations from Tesla watchers indicated that the owner’s manual on Tesla China’s website featured references to FSD Beta. This was short-lived, however, as Tesla China’s owner’s manual was updated to remove references to the advanced driver-assist system.
Despite this, Tesla is reportedly preparing to bring FSD Beta to the country. Citing a statement from the electric vehicle maker, local media outlet China Fund News recently noted that Tesla is moving forward with its plans to release FSD to the domestic Chinese market. “(Work to bring FSD to China) is indeed moving forward at the moment,” the report noted.
Interestingly enough, several Chinese government departments have released a joint notice indicating that vehicles with mass production conditions that support Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous capabilities could be allowed to do road tests in limited areas, as noted in a CNEV Post report. With this in mind, it would be unsurprising if Tesla is also preparing to test its most advanced driver-assist system in the local Chinese market.
Tesla has been laying the groundwork for FSD in China for some time. In 2021, the company established a data center in Shanghai, which gathered all data generated by its domestic operations. The facility gathers data on production, sales, service, and charging, among others. Tesla had also assembled an FSD operations team and a data labeling team in Shanghai.
While the pieces seem to be ready for the release of FSD in China, there are still some hurdles to overcome before the system can be released in the country. As per recent local reports, data collection qualifications and the availability of supercomputing centers remain key challenges for the electric vehicle maker.
