Archive · 7 Nov 2025
Musk Aims for Full Self-Driving Approval in China by Early 2026
Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla cars, thinks that soon, maybe around February or March of 2026, China will say 'yes' to Tesla's super-smart driving system called FSD.
Right now, the system is only allowed to do some things, not everything, in China.
It can't even switch gears by itself, and sometimes it gets confused by Chinese road signs.
This is a big deal because many people in China paid a lot of money for FSD, expecting it to work fully.
Tesla's market share in China has also gone down because other car companies have similar features.
Getting full approval would help Tesla sell more cars there.
Elon Musk anticipates full approval for Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software in China by early 2026.
The expected timeline for full approval is February or March of 2026.
Tesla's market share in China has decreased to 8% from a peak of 15.4% in early 2023.
Local brands are competing with similar driving assistance features at lower costs.
Currently, FSD in China has partial approval and limitations, such as not being permitted to change gears and difficulties with local traffic signs.
- Who
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk
- What
- Full Self-Driving (FSD) software approval in China
- When
- Expected early 2026 (February or March)
- Where
- China
- Why
- To enhance Tesla's offerings in a key market and address owner expectations
- FSD Approval Expectation
- Early 2026 (February/March)
- Tesla's Market Share in China
- 8% (last quarter), down from 15.4% (Q1 2023)
- FSD Cost in China
- 64,000 yuan ($9,000)
- FSD Status in China
- Partially approved since February
- FSD Limitation in China
- Cannot change gears, difficulty identifying local traffic signs