Tesla is finally preparing to introduce Full Self-Driving (FSD) in China. The latest software update, 2024.45.32.12, introduces key features that bring Tesla’s advanced driver-assist technology to Chinese roads, but unlike in North America, it looks like the system won’t be called FSD, at least for now.
Earlier today a report from Bloomberg said Tesla was preparing to release a software update in China with “driver-assistance capabilities similar to those marketed as Full Self-Driving in the US.”
That report appears to have been accurate. According to a preview of the release notes of the 2024.45.32.12 update released by Tesla on Monday, the update introduces automatic assisted driving on urban roads. This is the core component of Tesla’s FSD system, yet the release notes only speak of ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Navigate on Autopilot,’ and not Full Self-Driving. However, it appears Tesla vehicles in China will have the same capabilities, with Tesla saying vehicles will be able to navigate controlled roads and urban roads, exit ramps, and intersections while recognizing traffic signals and executing maneuvers like lane changes and make left and right turns, all signature movements of Tesla’s city streets feature in North America.
Tesla says that when no navigation route it set, the system will select an optimal route based on real-time road and traffic conditions.
In addition, the update turns on Tesla’s cabin camera functionality, ensuring that drivers remain attentive while using the system. A map package update (CN-2025.8-15218) further improves navigation accuracy for users in China. (via @TslaChan)
Tesla has been targeting the launch of FSD in China in early 2025. The deployment in China has been constrained by regulatory roadblocks, the biggest of which was China’s strict data privacy laws, which prevent Tesla from transferring video data collected from its vehicles to servers outside the country, making it difficult for Tesla to refine its autonomous driving algorithms using real-world data from Chinese roads. At the same time, the U.S. government has imposed restrictions on Tesla’s ability to conduct AI training within China, creating a unique challenge for the automaker.
Elon Musk has acknowledged these difficulties, describing them as a “quandary” during Tesla’s Q4 2024 earnings call. To work around these limitations, Tesla resorted to training its AI models using publicly available video footage of Chinese streets and leveraging advanced simulation technology to fine-tune its FSD system.
Tesla’s FSD rollout in China was also reportedly entangled in broader U.S.-China trade tensions. A report just last week suggested that Chinese authorities may use Tesla’s FSD approval as leverage in trade negotiations with the United States.
With this release in China, this is the second expansion of FSD outside of the United States and Canada just this month. Recently Tesla surprised everyone by releasing FSD in Mexico.
