MUSK PROPOSED TO LAUNCH TESLA’S ROBOTAXIS IN CHINA DURING APRIL VISIT, STATE MEDIA SAYS

Thu 09 May 2024:

Elon Musk proposed conducting tests of Tesla’s full self-driving feature in China by implementing it in robotaxis, as per reports from Chinese state media.

According to sources familiar with the matter cited by the state-backed China Daily on Wednesday, officials informed the Tesla CEO during his visit to China last month that Beijing “welcomes Tesla to do some robotaxi tests in the country” and hopes it can “set a good example”,

However, Chinese authorities have not yet granted immediate approval for Tesla to extensively utilize the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature, the newspaper noted.

This report from China Daily follows Elon Musk’s unannounced trip to Beijing late last month, during which he held discussions with Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

During his visit, Musk received an endorsement of Tesla’s data security measures from a prominent Chinese auto association and finalized an agreement with Chinese tech giant Baidu to utilize its mapping license for data collection on China’s public roads.

Approval from Chinese regulators is still pending for Tesla to collect and transfer data necessary for training its software before fully implementing FSD, a topic reportedly not addressed during Musk’s visit, as per China Daily.

Tesla’s largest manufacturing facility outside the United States is in Shanghai, where approximately half of its vehicles are manufactured.

Musk has pivoted Tesla’s focus away from producing affordable electric cars towards emerging technologies such as autonomous driving software, robotaxis, and humanoid robots.

The electric car manufacturer is grappling with declining car sales amid intense competition from Chinese brands like BYD.

Tesla’s vehicle deliveries experienced an 8.5 percent decline in the first quarter, contributing to a 40 percent decrease in its stock price since July. The company reported profits of $1.1bn in the first quarter last month, down from $2.51bn a year ago.

Chinese automotive giant BYD surpassed Tesla as the world’s largest electric vehicle maker in the final quarter of 2023, although the Austin, Texas-based company regained the title in the first three months of this year.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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