Tesla is letting people across China sign up for test drives. They can try Tesla’s latest smart assisted driving. The car uses cameras and computers to help steer, follow traffic, and slow down when needed. Tesla says this system cuts crash rates by 85 percent.
Tesla ran a free FSD trial earlier this year. The company stopped it for a short time so local regulators could review the system. Tesla now works with Chinese tech partners to boost performance and follow mapping rules.
Rules still limit full autonomy
Smart assisted driving in China has limits. The system helps a lot on highways and regular city streets. But it can make errors, like treating bike lanes as turn lanes or making turns that go against traffic rules. Some drivers got fines during tests. Still, Tesla performed better than some major Chinese brands in certain test events.
New rules from Chinese authorities slow things down. Car companies need to get approval before updating autonomous drive features. They must keep important driving data inside China and use local map info partners.
Elon Musk said he expects Tesla to get full approval for advanced smart driving in China by early 2026. Right now, the system is classified as “assisted.” Drivers must supervise at all times, even if the car is driving itself for short stretches.
Tesla says cars with smart assisted driving crash far less often. Their safety reports claim that Teslas go millions of miles with few serious incidents. The company believes smart assisted driving can save lots of lives, but only if many people use it.
China’s EV brands also offer their own assisted driving features often at no cost. Many use extra sensors, like LiDAR. Tesla relies just on cameras. Because of Chinese rules, Tesla can’t use driving data from China for training in other countries. Instead, Tesla uses public videos and local team-ups to improve its system.
Sales have slowed this year because local competition is fierce and prices are dropping. Tesla still holds demo drives, introduce new models like the recently introduced Model Y L in China.
How to try smart assisted driving
People can go to Tesla stores in China, book a test drive, and try the smart assisted driving in person. A trained staff member comes along to help explain the features. Right now, full self-driving is not available and Tesla plans to offer more updates if the government gives the green light.
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