FSD introduction to China is underway: Tesla

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability is poised for a debut in China, according to recent reports. Tesla China responded to inquiries about FSD's introduction, stating that it is currently in progress. 

Model 3; photo credit: Tesla

On November 17, a joint announcement by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Transport detailed the initiation of Intelligent Connected Vehicle admission and on-road trial runs. 

The notice outlined specific requirements for L3/L4 autonomous driving and refined relevant regulations, marking the commencement of the initial company selection process. Notably, the notice also specifies protocols for handling accidents involving trial vehicles, laying the groundwork for Tesla's FSD introduction in China.

Shortly after the notice's release, the functionality of Full Self-Driving (Beta) capability appeared in the owner's manual on Tesla China's official website.

The current version of FSD (Beta) offers various functionalities, including navigating curved roads, stopping at intersections before proceeding, executing left and right turns, maneuvering roundabouts, and entering/exiting highways. In essence, it furnishes advanced driving capabilities for highways and urban areas (termed "Full Self-Driving" by Tesla). 

However, despite being termed "Full Self-Driving," the manual emphasizes this as an assistive driving feature rather than autonomous driving. Drivers are still required to remain attentive and maintain hands on the wheel when activating the feature. The system alerts distracted attention through in-car cameras, triggering warnings and eventually slowing the vehicle to a complete stop if the driver disregards multiple alerts.