Musk Leaves Beijing After Tesla Wins Key China Security Clearance

AFP/APP

Beijing: Tesla boss Elon Musk boarded a plane departing Beijing on Monday, after a whistle-stop China visit during which the firm secured a key security clearance for the world’s biggest electric car market.

Musk arrived on Sunday for his second trip to China in less than a year, meeting top officials including Premier Li Qiang as he worked to boost Tesla’s fortunes in the face of intense competition from local electric-vehicle makers such as BYD.

On the same day, the US EV giant’s locally produced models were listed among the EVs that meet China’s data security requirements for smart cars, clearing a key regulatory hurdle.

Musk boarded his private jet at Beijing Capital Airport just before 1:00 pm (0500 GMT), and a Chinese flight tracking app said it was bound for Anchorage, Alaska.

Despite the growing market share of domestic automakers, Teslas remain among the best-selling EVs in China.

The firm has been working to boost sales through its “Full Self Driving” (FSD) features, which need to be compliant with strict data and privacy laws.

It appeared to inch closer to that approval by teaming up with Chinese tech titan Baidu for maps and navigation, Bloomberg reported Monday.

These advanced assisted driving features do not make its cars fully autonomous, and Tesla says its autopilot and FSD capabilities are meant to be used under driver supervision.

It sells FSD to Tesla owners for $8,000 in the United States, or for a $99 monthly subscription.

Tesla did not immediately respond to AFP queries about FSD in China and the reported partnership with Baidu.