By Investing.com– Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is yet to receive approval from the Chinese government to launch its full self-driving functions in the country, the China Daily reported on Friday, with the company reportedly seeking permission to gather more data.
Tesla’s proposal to roll out the technology is still pending authorization from several Chinese authorities, the China Daily report said, citing “multiple” sources with knowledge of the matter. Data security is a key point of contention.
Tesla had said in September that it will launch its FSD technology in China and Europe by the first quarter of 2025. CEO Elon Musk had said he expected to get Chinese regulatory clearance by end-2024.
FSD is a paid upgrade to Tesla’s Autopilot driver assistant, which is already available in China. FSD includes additional features such as self-parking, autonomous lane changes and navigation, and was launched in the U.S. in 2020.
But FSD still does not entail completely autonomous driving, with the driver still expected to sit behind the wheel and take over when needed.
Tesla had earlier this year flagged an increased focus on FSD and artificial intelligence, touting the areas as its next growth engines after a sustained drop in vehicle sales.
Last week, the firm unveiled an entirely autonomous vehicle, the Cybercab, claiming that it intended to roll out the product by 2025. But the firm is still grappling with regulatory scrutiny across the globe over its plans for autonomous vehicles.