Elon Musk visits China, possibly for FSD launch prep
Tesla's Elon Musk visits China, where its key Shanghai factory is located, likely prepping for a new driving assistant launch.
(Image: Frederic Legrand - COMEO/Shutterstock.com)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in China on Sunday for a surprise visit and met with Premier Li Qiang. Ostensibly, the visit was about preparations for the release of the FSD driving assistant, writes the news agency Reuters. However, the Chinese head of government took the opportunity directly to describe the development of the electric car company in the country as a successful example of the Middle Kingdom's cooperation with the USA on trade and economic issues. According to the Xinhua news agency, this is mutually beneficial. Relations between the two countries have become increasingly tense.
China visit after rejection of India
China is Tesla's second most important sales market after its home market, the USA, and the US company also operates its largest factory in Shanghai. The electric car company has recently been suffering from sales difficulties, which are being driven by enormous price competition in China. In the first quarter, Tesla delivered 387,000 vehicles for the first time and surprisingly fewer vehicles than a year earlier. Just over a week ago, Musk postponed a planned meeting with Indian President Narendra Modi. At the time, the 52-year-old explained his cancellation at short notice with scheduling reasons. In China, he has now announced that his company is ready to intensify its cooperation with the Chinese side.
According to the Reuters report, the US billionaire's visit is also about obtaining permission to transfer data collected in China to the USA. This will be used to train AI algorithms for the driving assistant. Until now, all data collected by Tesla vehicles in China has been stored in Shanghai and remains in the country. Just a few days ago, Musk announced on his short message service X (formerly Twitter) that FSD could be introduced in China "very soon". The move would be very important for the US company, Reuters quotes an analyst as saying: Tesla's long-term success depends on the assistance system and, accordingly, on its availability in the second-largest market.
(mho)