Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) launches "Chinese version" of Level 2 Full Self-Driving! Car owner: 60,000 yuan pricing is too expensive.

Today, Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) released a software update for Chinese car owners, which is seen as the official entry of FSD into the Chinese market. A reporter from the "Science and Technology Board Daily" learned from Tesla, Inc.'s official customer service that this software update does not enable vehicles to have the fully autonomous driving function of the US version of FSD. The FSD intelligent assisted driving version introduced in China currently only supports level 2 and the official website has also changed the description of the previous FSD order to "FSD intelligent assisted driving function." As this update is being pushed out in batches and only Tesla, Inc. models equipped with HW4.0 hardware can be upgraded, Tesla, Inc. owners with unsupported hardware feel excluded from this test and are dissatisfied. However, some consumers are excited about this update as the Autopilot automatic assisted driving function on city roads is finally coming, and the complete implementation of the FSD Chinese version at least has a schedule. Industry insiders believe that the entry of FSD into China can increase the penetration rate of advanced intelligent driving, intensify market competition, drive technological progress, and stimulate the development of related industries such as sensors, chips, software algorithms, data services, etc. "Tesla, Inc. Introduces FSD "Chinese Version" The update officially released by Tesla, Inc. is called City Road Autopilot Automatic Assisted Driving, which allows Autopilot automatic assisted driving to be used on controlled roads (main roads where users enter and exit through ramps) and city roads. According to the update description, Tesla, Inc. has stated that this function has been introduced on some models and will gradually expand its range of compatible models. Specifically, this function requires vehicles to have HW4.0 assisted driving hardware, which means that only Model Y/3 purchased after February 2024, as well as new Model S/X models, support the update of this system. A reporter from the "Science and Technology Board Daily" visited a Tesla, Inc. store in Shenzhen, where a store employee told the reporter, "This FSD update is different from the American version as it does not have fully automatic driving capability but is officially called an intelligent assisted driving system. In March, the new Model Y will begin test drives and you can come to experience the FSD assisted driving system then." Subsequently, the reporter called Tesla, Inc.'s official phone number and a customer service representative told the reporter, "The currently released intelligent assisted driving is at level 2 and primarily used for automatic assisted driving on city roads. While it has not yet reached the level of fully autonomous driving, the system is continuously being optimized." In addition, the customer service representative added that the current version of the software has not yet been widely rolled out and is still in the grey testing phase. "We internally refer to it as intelligent assisted driving. Currently, it can recognize well-marked internal road sections besides city main roads and auxiliary roads." The "Science and Technology Board Daily" reporter found that Tesla, Inc.'s official website has changed the description of the FSD order page from "full autonomous driving capability" to "FSD intelligent assisted driving function." The "Science and Technology Board Daily" reporter learned that Tesla, Inc.'s FSD needs to be purchased separately, priced at $8,000 in the United States (equivalent to approximately 58,113 RMB), and users can also choose to order it for $99 (approximately 719.2 RMB). The price of Tesla, Inc.'s FSD in China is 64,000 RMB, and only a one-time purchase option is provided. Users who have already purchased FSD believe that their vehicles can automatically complete operations such as entering and exiting ramps, turning at intersections, recognizing traffic lights, changing lanes, etc., which makes driving more convenient and reduces driving pressure, especially in congested conditions or complex intersections. One Tesla, Inc. car owner told the "Science and Technology Board Daily" reporter that Tesla, Inc.'s end-to-end technology system has advantages, and although there are some minor issues currently, there is a lot of room for improvement in the future. "At least there is hope to experience the complete version of FSD, and Tesla, Inc. has not abandoned old users. Users who previously purchased HW2.0 and 2.5 versions have been upgraded to HW3.0 for free." Users who have not purchased FSD are skeptical of the high price of FSD, mainly considering the current price of FSD exceeding 60,000 RMB, compared to the majority of domestic manufacturers' intelligent driving functions that are either free or priced significantly lower than Tesla, Inc. A Tesla, Inc. car owner who has not purchased FSD told the "Science and Technology Board Daily" reporter, "Although Huawei (Hongmeng Intelligent Drive) also charges for intelligent driving functions, it is only 20,000 RMB. In addition, FSD has just entered China, and there are many uncertain factors such as delivery electric vehicles, ride-hailing cars that change lanes randomly, pedestrians suddenly appearing, etc., whether Tesla, Inc.'s FSD can handle them is still unknown." The entry of FSD into China will accelerate the development of the advanced intelligent driving industry chain As one of its major selling points, Tesla, Inc. has long been laying the foundation for intelligent driving in China. Since Tesla, Inc. does not have mapping qualifications, it has been cooperating with Baidu Inc Sponsored ADR Class A for basic mapping services since 2014. On October 25, 2021, Tesla, Inc. established a super factory data center in Shanghai Lingang Holdings and deployed NVIDIA Corporation's Orin chips and its own Dojo supercomputing system. All road data generated within China is processed structurally within the car and only desensitized feature vectors are transferred to local servers. It is believed that the entry of Tesla, Inc.'s FSD into China this year will promote the popularization of advanced intelligent driving in China and the development of the industry chain. Currently, the penetration rate of advanced intelligent driving in China is about 2%, and it is expected to reach 2025 by.With the support of car companies such as Huawei, Xiaopeng, Ideal, and BYD Company Limited, the penetration rate of high-level intelligent driving is expected to exceed 5%.At the China Electric Vehicle Hundred Persons Meeting Forum Expert Media Exchange Meeting, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Vice Chairman of the China Electric Vehicle Hundred Persons Association, Ouyang Minggao, stated that as Chinese automotive companies widely adopt Deepseek, they have confidence that domestic enterprises will continue to maintain a leading position in the field of intelligent driving after the introduction of Tesla, Inc.'s FSD into the Chinese market. An automotive analyst told the "Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily" reporter, "Tesla, Inc. is ahead in the field of intelligent driving technology. The introduction of FSD into China will bring competitive pressure to domestic new energy vehicle companies, prompting them to increase research and development investment in the field of intelligent driving, improve their technological level and product competitiveness, and promote technological progress in the entire industry." The analyst added that due to Tesla, Inc.'s large shipment volume in the Chinese market, it will also drive the development of related industrial chains, such as sensors, chips, software algorithms, data services, etc. Upstream and downstream companies will increase their efforts in technological innovation and product upgrades, promoting the improvement and development of the industrial chain. However, the high buyout fee of over 60,000 yuan for FSD is also a difficulty for Tesla, Inc. in promoting FSD in China, especially considering that BYD Company Limited has started promoting "equal rights for intelligent driving" across its entire range of models. In February 2025, BYD Company Limited announced that it will equip all its models with advanced intelligent driving capabilities as standard, with the most widely used "Eye of the Celestial God C" being included in 21 models at once, and with additional features at no extra cost. Even the low-priced seagull of only 70,000 yuan is equipped with core functions such as high-speed NOA (automatic navigation assisted driving) and valet parking. He Xiaopeng, founder and chairman of XPeng, Inc. ADR Sponsored Class A, released a statement on Weibo Corp. Sponsored ADR Class A today, welcoming Tesla, Inc.'s gradual roll-out of FSD in China. "But I slightly think differently. If advanced intelligent driving wants to be promoted and implemented globally, it must achieve 'basic hardware standard, free software, high-frequency OTA growth.' Technological equality will make more and more users like, trust, and rely on intelligent driving." This article is reprinted from "Cai Lian She". GMTEight editor: Liu Jiayin.