Recently, as reported by the media, Tesla is planning to form a local operations team of about 20 people to promote the rollout of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) assistant in the Chinese market. Insiders stated that Tesla has dispatched engineers from its headquarters for training. Furthermore, Tesla plans to set up a data labeling team in China, consisting of nearly a hundred people, to serve the training algorithms for FSD.
On August 14th, Tesla China stated in an announcement that Tesla has established a data center in China. All data generated by vehicles sold in the Chinese mainland market will be stored within China.
Currently, the domestic Autopilot self-driving assist system is mainly suitable for highway scenarios. It can automatically control speed and steer based on road conditions on highways. After setting a destination, it can also automatically change lanes, overtake, and exit ramps. The system also includes automatic parking and intelligent summoning in parking lots.
On the other hand, FSD primarily serves as an automatic driving assist system for urban roads, capable of recognizing traffic lights, road signs, and markings, and responding accordingly. Tesla launched the FSD Beta in the U.S. in 2020 and plans to release the official version soon. The driving scenarios in the U.S. differ greatly from those in China. For a successful launch in China, extensive local data testing is required, and permission from local governments of different cities is also needed.
Currently, the optional price for the domestic Autopilot is 32,000 yuan, while the FSD option is priced at 64,000 yuan. This option has been available for several years in China, and some customers have purchased it at a high price, but it has never been truly activated. Tesla was one of the first companies to launch an autonomous driving assistant and used it as a selling point. However, now, emerging Chinese automakers are rolling out urban self-driving assist systems. If Tesla doesn't introduce FSD soon, it might fall behind its competitors in China.
