Tesla accelerates smart driving push in China ahead of FSD approval

Tesla China has triggered renewed speculation about the potential rollout of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system after launching a large-scale recruitment campaign for intelligent driving testing positions, News.Az reports, citing CarNewsChina.

The company has recently posted around 90 core R&D vacancies, primarily targeting “Smart Driving Test Technicians” and “ADAS Test Operators” across nine major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Wuhan, according to Chinese media outlet Jiemian.

Based on the job descriptions, these technicians will be tasked with identifying functional improvements as well as performance regressions across software iterations. Their responsibilities include conducting real-world testing on public roads, closed test tracks, and designated validation sites.

Applicants are required to have a clean driving record for at least one year, more than three years of driving experience with an annual mileage exceeding 10,000 km, and strong familiarity with ADAS and Autopilot systems.

While Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously stated in late 2025 that FSD had received “partial approval” in China, Tesla executives later clarified during the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call that they now expect broader regulatory approval for the system by the third quarter of 2026.

In a parallel effort to localize its in-car digital ecosystem, Tesla has upgraded its voice assistant in China. The system now integrates ByteDance’s “Doubao” large language model for voice-based commands such as navigation, media control, and climate adjustments, while “DeepSeek Chat” is used for more advanced AI interactions. These services are delivered through ByteDance’s Volcano Engine infrastructure, representing a significant upgrade to Tesla’s user experience in China since its market entry in 2013.

From a financial perspective, Tesla reported strong performance in the first quarter of 2026. Revenue reached 22.39 billion USD, reflecting a 16% year-on-year increase and marking the fastest growth in three years. Net profit attributable to common stockholders rose to 477 million USD, while adjusted net profit increased by 56% to 1.453 billion USD. The Shanghai Gigafactory remained a key driver of this performance, producing 213,000 vehicles in Q1, up 23.5% year-on-year.

Earlier in January, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had claimed that the company’s supervised FSD system could receive approval in China as early as February. However, reports cited by state media outlet China Daily later directly contradicted and debunked this statement.

In April 2026, Tesla sold 25,956 vehicles in China, marking a 9.7% year-on-year decline and a 53.7% drop compared to the previous month. Of these, the Model Y accounted for 22,990 units, ranking as the third best-selling model in the Chinese market for that month.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev