Musk's Beijing Trip: Tesla's FSD Push and Data Dilemma in China

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, arrived in Beijing on Sunday on a private jet linked to his company, according to a flight tracking app. Two sources with knowledge of the matter revealed that Musk's surprise visit to China, Tesla's second-largest market, is intended to facilitate meetings with senior Chinese officials. The discussions will focus on the deployment of Tesla's Full-Self Driving (FSD) software in China and the necessary approval to transfer data collected in the country abroad for algorithm training in autonomous driving technologies.

Since 2021, Tesla has been complying with Chinese regulations by storing all data collected by its Chinese fleet in Shanghai and has refrained from transferring any data back to the United States.

Four years ago, Tesla introduced FSD, the most autonomous version of its Autopilot software, but it has yet to be made available in China despite customer demand. In response to a question on social media, Musk indicated this month that Tesla might release FSD to Chinese customers "very soon."

Rival Chinese automakers like Xpeng have been attempting to gain an edge over Tesla by introducing comparable software.

Musk's trip to China was kept private, and the sources requested anonymity due to the absence of media authorization. Tesla has not yet responded to a request for comment.

This trip comes shortly after Musk canceled a planned visit to India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing "very heavy Tesla obligations."

In the midst of declining sales and intensifying price competition for EVs led by Chinese brands, the company announced plans to lay off 10% of its global workforce.