Elon Musk Set to Visit China, Tesla’s Second-Largest Market, in Exclusive Trip, Sources Confirm

Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, embarked on an unexpected journey to Beijing, China, on Sunday, aiming to initiate discussions with senior Chinese officials regarding the implementation of Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software in the country. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that Musk’s primary agenda includes seeking approval to transfer data collected within China to other locations for training algorithms for Tesla’s autonomous driving technologies.

Since 2021, Tesla has adhered to Chinese regulatory requirements by storing all data collected by its fleet in Shanghai, refraining from transferring any data back to the United States. Despite customers’ persistent requests, Tesla has yet to introduce FSD, the most advanced version of its Autopilot software, in China.

In response to inquiries on the social media platform X, Musk hinted that Tesla might soon make FSD available to Chinese customers. This move comes amid increasing competition from Chinese automakers like Xpeng, who are aggressively rolling out similar autonomous driving software.

Interestingly, Musk’s visit to China was discreet, with no prior public announcement. Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed these details, as they were not authorized to speak to the media. Tesla has yet to comment on Musk’s trip or the purpose behind it.

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