Asia Tech Wire (Apr 29) -- During Tesla CEO Elon Musk's whirlwind visit to China, the U.S. electric car maker secured automotive data security clearance.
The China Association of Auto Manufacturers (CAAM) said in a statement on Sunday that 76 models from six companies - BYD, Li Auto, Lotus, Hozon Auto (Neta Auto), Tesla, and Nio - meet the four compliance requirements for automotive data security.
Notably, Tesla is the only foreign company among these automakers that meets the compliance requirements.
In terms of specific models, the Model 3 and Model Y that Tesla produces in its Shanghai superfactory all meet the requirements.
It is evident that the passing of the national authoritative data security test has laid a certain foundation for Tesla to promote its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system to enter the Chinese market.
Tesla said that it will help to fully lift the restrictions on driving and parking of Tesla and other smart cars in some institutions, airports and highways in China.
Previously, Tesla vehicles have repeatedly faced restrictions on access to public places such as airports. And now, restrictions on the use of Tesla and other smart internet-connected vehicles have been lifted one after another across China.
Musk arrived in Beijing on Sunday to kick off his second visit to China after the end of May 2023. Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Musk at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse (DSG) on Sunday afternoon.
According to a Chinese flight tracking app, Musk's Gulfstream private jet left Beijing Capital International Airport(PEK) at 1:17 p.m. (GMT+8) on Monday, bound for Anchorage, Alaska.
Reuters previously reported that Musk's visit to China was intended to push for FSD to land in the country, and seek permission to transfer car driving data collected by Tesla within China to be used abroad for self-driving algorithm training.
Tesla's driving data collected in China since 2021 is currently stored in Shanghai, and no data has been transferred to the U.S., according to Chinese regulators.
Earlier this month, Musk had said on his social media platform X that Tesla may offer FSD to Chinese users "very soon".
Some industry experts have pointed out that traffic conditions in China are more complex than in other markets, and that driving data here is crucial to accelerating the training of smart driving algorithms.
Although Tesla introduced the FSD features four years ago, the company has been unable to roll it out in China, its second biggest market in the world after the U.S.
Analysts believe that if Tesla's FSD succeeds in entering the Chinese market, it will become a strong competitor to self-driving solutions from local Chinese automakers such as Xpeng and Li Auto.
Data collection is seen as one of the keys to landing FSD in China. And in terms of data storage, CAAM's latest statement suggests that Tesla has made new progress.
In addition, Tesla has reached an agreement with Baidu to improve Autopilot, its advanced driver assistance system, in China by using Baidu's mapping and navigation functions, according to Bloomberg.
The report, citing people familiar with the matter, said that the partnership will enable Tesla to deploy FSD in China based on lane-level navigation and maps provided by Baidu.
Baidu is one of about 20 qualified suppliers with key modules for self-driving functions.
Following the news, Baidu's Hong Kong-listed shares had risen more than 6% on Monday, although it did not respond to the news.
In response to market concerns about FSD's launch in China, Tesla said that it has not yet set a specific timetable.
Tesla has moved to using Baidu's mapping and navigation services in China starting in 2020, and the new partnership is designed to address the mapping needs for more advanced self-driving.
