Tesla is actively working to deliver Full Self-Driving (FSD) available its customers in China, according to local media reports, citing a company insider.
Delivering FSD is one of Tesla’s key goals. While the feature is already being widely tested in the US and Canada, non-public work on the feature is underway in other markets. In order to begin testing in a particular country, Tesla must obtain permission from the relevant regulators, which is one of the most difficult steps.
There have already been rumors this year that Tesla is working on enabling FSD in China. Now, local media, citing a source from the company, have reported that the manufacturer is moving forward with the introduction of FSD in the country.
“[Work to bring FSD to China] is indeed moving forward at the moment,” local media outlet China Fund News said on Thursday, citing a response from a company insider, according to CnEVPost.
The report notes that rumors about the imminent arrival of FSD in China have resurfaced as the country recently introduced a new autonomous driving policy. Several Chinese government departments recently issued a joint notice. It states that mass-produced vehicles supporting L3 and L4 autonomous driving are now allowed to conduct road tests with pilots in limited areas. It also clarifies for the first time the definition of liability for accidents. Against this backdrop, Tesla FSD’s entry into the Chinese market is seen as entering the countdown phase, the report noted.
Of note is the fact that a few days ago, a description of FSD Beta was added to the latest user manual on Tesla’s Chinese website. This has raised high expectations for the feature’s imminent availability in China. However, at this time, this mention has been removed, as have any other mentions of FSD. This may indicate either an error by the company or that the mention was removed to stop speculation and not draw attention to an unresolved issue.
