Tesla Said to Launch FSD Beta in China Soon, Claims Report

A new report says Tesla could be set to launch its self-driving software in China, with the highly-anticipated system currently available only in North America (Canada and the U.S., specifically).

Tesla may be readying large-scale testing of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta in China, according to a report from Caixin (via @Chris Zheng).

“According to Caixin’s understanding, Tesla, which dominates the 200,000-300,000-yuan range and the higher-end market, is about to start a large-scale test of Full Self-Driving in China.”

The news comes just days after it was reported that Tesla CEO Elon Musk would be visiting China, in hopes to meet with Premier Li Qiang, which some users in the thread posit could be related to the debut of the FSD beta in the country.

Tesla launching FSD beta in China would be a major challenge for the system, as traffic behaviour and lighting systems are different than Canada and the USA. With the growing Tesla market in China, FSD beta would bring even more vehicle data to the automaker to perfect its system. It would also bring forth a feature to convince more buyers to jump into a Tesla vehicle.

It also comes amidst a burgeoning market for autonomous vehicles in China, as startup electric vehicle (EV) companies based in the country such as NIO and Xpeng Motors have begun rolling out their own advanced driver assistance systems and early semi-autonomous driving software.

Tesla’s FSD beta has also been reported to be entering Europe at some point, though it hasn’t yet been publicly launched on the continent.

Currently, FSD beta is at version 11.3.4 and 11.3.5 for testers in both Canada and the U.S., with the system now at its single stack stage, essentially combining city and highway versions into one.