Tesla has launched its full self-driving system in China and extended its European footprint, adding Lithuania as the second country on the continent to receive the software.
The China launch follows chief executive Elon Musk’s visit to Beijing last week, coinciding with a state trip by US President Donald Trump.
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Tesla confirmed via X that “FSD Supervised” is now active across ten territories, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the Netherlands, in addition to the newly added markets.
Regulatory approval from Chinese authorities had been awaited for several years before it was finally granted.
In Europe, Lithuanian approval follows that of the Netherlands, where the Dutch vehicle authority RDW issued European type approval on a provisional basis last month after an evaluation process of more than 18 months.
Testing covered both closed tracks and public road conditions before sign-off was granted.
The Chinese market presents a significant challenge for Tesla.
Tesla enters the Level 3 segment as domestic competitors across Asia and Europe – particularly in China – have already taken a lead in adapting their autonomous solutions for local road conditions and moving toward commercial-scale rollout.
Its lag in activating Level 3 features, stricter regulatory scrutiny, and the effectiveness of local competitors’ real-world experience means it does not currently hold the same advantage in these markets as it does with Level 2 systems, explained GlobalData, Just Auto’s parent.
Huawei Technologies Company announced last month that it plans to sharply increase its investment in smart-driving technologies – pledging more than 70bn yuan ($10bn) over the next five years to strengthen its position in China’s growing smart EV sector.
Separately, Tesla this month committed $250m to its Berlin-Brandenburg gigafactory in Germany to expand battery cell production and advance towards a target of one million vehicles built at the site.
The facility, which opened in March 2022, currently produces hundreds of thousands of Model Y vehicles annually alongside millions of battery cells, and has recently passed the 750,000-vehicle production milestone.
