Tesla announced on Monday that it will roll out its smart driving-assistance feature in China once it secures regulatory approval, following a temporary pause in the limited-time free trial of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) service.
The company assured customers that the process is actively progressing, stating on social media platform Weibo, “All parties are actively advancing the relevant process and we will push it to you as soon as it is ready. We are also looking forward to it, please wait patiently.”
The message appeared as a comment under Tesla Vice President Grace Tao’s Weibo account.
Last Monday, Tesla had announced plans to offer a free trial of its FSD service in China between March 17 and April 16. The FSD system, which utilizes generative artificial intelligence to navigate complex traffic scenarios, has already been made available in the United States, where it operates without relying on accurate or up-to-date navigation maps. Instead, local AI training helps refine driving capabilities.
However, in China, Tesla faces challenges in training the system with data from its 2 million electric vehicles due to the country’s strict data regulations. The company must comply with new rules issued by China’s industry ministry in late February, which mandate that autonomous driving-related over-the-air software updates undergo regulatory approval.
