Tesla’s expectations for near-term regulatory approval of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) driver assistance system in China were called into question on Friday, after state-run media reported that recent claims of imminent approval were inaccurate.
Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Thursday that he expected China to approve Tesla’s FSD system as early as next month, repeating a timeline he first outlined late last year. “We hope to get Supervised Full Self-Driving approval in Europe, hopefully next month, and then maybe a similar timing for China,” Musk said during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to a Reuters report.
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However, a Chinese government source cited by China Daily said those reports were incorrect. “This is not true,” the source said, without providing additional details on the current status or timing of China’s regulatory review of the system.
Tesla has been seeking approval to deploy its more advanced driver assistance software in China, the world’s largest electric vehicle market. At present, the company offers Chinese customers a less capable version of its Autopilot system, while the full FSD package remains unavailable pending regulatory clearance.
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In February 2025, Tesla began rolling out advanced driver assistance features in China that resemble elements of the U.S. version of FSD, though the company avoided using the FSD name at the time. The move was widely viewed as a preliminary step toward a broader introduction of the technology in the country.
Despite the rollout, the features currently available in China do not yet match the functionality of Tesla’s U.S. FSD system, underscoring the regulatory and technical hurdles the company continues to face as it seeks wider approval for automated driving technologies.
