Musk in China to discuss full self driving - reports

Elon Musk is visiting Beijing with media reports saying helium aims to sermon enabling autonomous driving mode connected Tesla cars successful China.

Mr Musk wants to alteration Full Self Driving (FSD) successful China and transportation information collected successful the state overseas to bid its algorithms.

FSD is disposable successful countries including the US but not successful China.

The quality came aft a US study tied Tesla's autonomous driving modes to astatine slightest 13 crashes, involving 1 death.

China's authorities broadcaster CCTV confirmed Mr Musk's visit, stating helium had been invited to conscionable with Ren Hongbin, caput of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, "to sermon adjacent steps successful practice and different topics".

China is Tesla's second-biggest market. Other carmakers specified arsenic Xpeng - headquartered successful Guangzhou - person been attempting to vie with Tesla by rolling retired akin self-driving functions successful their cars.

The electrical carmaker has taken antecedently taken steps to reassure Chinese authorities astir the rollout of FSD successful the country, including establishing a information centre successful Shanghai to process information astir Chinese consumers successful accordance with section laws.

The travel comes days aft the US's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was investigating whether a callback successfully addressed information concerns relating to Tesla's operator assistance system.

The NHTSA said that contempt requirements that drivers support absorption connected the roadworthy and beryllium prepared to instrumentality power astatine a moment's announcement erstwhile autonomous driving was enabled, drivers progressive successful the crashes "were not sufficiently engaged". The regulator's investigation was conducted earlier a callback Tesla said would hole the issue.

Tesla's bundle is expected to marque definite that drivers are paying attraction and that the diagnostic is lone successful usage successful due conditions, specified arsenic driving connected highways.

Mr Musk has promised that Teslas volition beryllium capable to enactment arsenic autonomous "robotaxis" for years. In 2015, helium said Teslas would execute "full autonomy" by 2018. And successful 2019, helium said the institution would person robotaxis operating by the pursuing year.

This month, the Tesla main enforcement said helium would uncover the company's robotaxi successful August.

Critics impeach Mr Musk of consistently hyping up the prospects of afloat autonomous driving to prop up the company's stock price, which has fallen connected the backmost of challenges including falling request for electrical vehicles worldwide and contention from cheaper Chinese manufacturers. Mr Musk denies the accusations.

"Tesla prices indispensable alteration often successful bid to lucifer accumulation with demand," Mr Musk precocious said connected X, the microblogging level antecedently known arsenic Twitter which the billionaire owns.

Tesla precocious reported a 13% autumn successful automotive income to $17.3bn (£13.7bn) for the archetypal 3 months of this year.

Overall income crossed Tesla dropped by 9% portion its profits fell sharply to $1.13bn compared to $2.51bn for the aforesaid play past year.

So acold successful 2024, its stock terms has collapsed by 32%.