Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Tesla shares jumped 5% in pre-market trading on Monday, rebounding from earlier losses after Bloomberg reported that the company is preparing to launch its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software in China, its largest market.
The report indicates that the upcoming update will introduce assisted driving features for city roads, with the rollout expected to begin in the coming days.
Last September, Tesla posted an update to its AI roadmap revealing that it expected to launch its — supervised — full self-driving (FSD) software both in Europe and China in the first quarter of 2025.
However, the company noted at the time the confirmation of the rollout was still pending regulatory approval.
As of the time of writing, Tesla shares are trading 1.8% higher at $344. Year to date, the stock has lost 15% of its value.
A week ago, the Financial Times reported that the carmaker was “bracing for a potential delay” in obtaining the approval. Citing people familiar with the matter, the report claims there is not yet a “definitive timetable for regulators to approve a license.”
One of FT’s sources said the approval “could still come soon, depending on how trade negotiations developed” while another noted that a “speedy consent was unlikely unless there was a major breakthrough or concession in trade talks.”
Last month, X user Chris Zheng, known for revealing updates on Tesla’s developments in the Chinese market, said he received a video showing a Tesla testing its assisted driving software in China.
“I just received a 55-second FSD video. Despite careful blurring of all key details, one specific detail still confirms that the video was filmed in China — Tesla is conducting public road testing and validation of FSD in China,” the Shanghai-based content creator wrote on X.
In 2024, China surpassed the U.S. and became Tesla’s largest market, with 659,282 vehicles sold. Sales in the U.S. fell from 657,626 to 623,152 units, according to the data analyst Troy Teslike.
Elon Musk said last September that Right Hand Drive markets (such as the UK) will follow in the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2025. “Hopefully, RHD markets in late Q1, early Q2, pending regulatory approval,” Musk wrote.
