On February 25, Tesla China released the 2024.45.32.12 software OTA update, adding Autopilot features for city streets and enhancing the existing Navigate on Autopilot (NOA) software. Chinese outlet The Paper speculates that FSD might start rolling out in China later in 2025, which was also previously announced by Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk at an earnings call.

The update allows NOA to exit ramps and intersections according to the navigation route. It can also recognize traffic signals, turn left or right, and make a U-turn. Updated NOA can automatically shift lanes in response to speed and the chosen route. If no navigation route is set, the optimal path is determined using real-time road data. However, it can’t perform full self-driving as FSD in the US.

The update also activates the cabin camera, located above the rearview mirror, to monitor whether the driver is attentive. The company points out that all camera footage is processed locally within the vehicle, and no Tesla or other party can access the data.

Since 2022, Chinese users can pre-order the FSD package but can’t use it – it is limited only to basic NOA features. Thus, the current NOA update, which some media call “FSD,” is only available to Tesla owners who pre-ordered FSD. The price of the FSD package is 64,000 yuan (8,800 USD) in China.

Moreover, Tesla renamed the FSD package name following today’s NOA update rollout. It was previously called just “FSD”, now called “FSD智能辅助驾驶,” which translates as FSD intelligent assisted driving, most likely to downplay the “full self-driving” part of the name for the regulator.

The update is currently available only for vehicles equipped with HW4 assisted driving hardware, meaning it is limited to Model Y and 3 made from February 2024 onwards and the new Model S/X. The OTA update is pushed in batches, starting with a small number of vehicles today.

Editor’s comment

Tesla would like to launch the FSD in China; however, due to a lack of training data, the prohibition on sending data for processing outside China, and other regulatory hurdles, the company took this middle ground as a first step to the FSD Chinese launch. The Tesla China team seems to be still figuring out the best way to deal with the regulation.

Based on our source within Tesla China, it is called only a NOP update and not an FSD because limited training data in China results in limited ADAS capabilities compared with the FSD in the US. Also, the updated NOA can’t handle some China-specific traffic situations, like bus lanes. The quality will gradually improve, and once it reaches a sufficient level (if ever), Tesla will relaunch it as an FSD. We will keep an eye on it.