Tesla's China Software Update: Navigating City Streets with Enhanced Autopilot

Tesla is preparing to update its software in China to offer driving-assistance features tailored for urban navigation, according to company sources. Despite a premature notification retraction, the update will introduce capabilities similar to 'Full Self-Driving' while staying within regulatory boundaries amid technological constraints.

Tesla is gearing up to roll out a software update in China that aims to enhance its cars with driving-assistance capabilities for city navigation, sources revealed. The anticipated update will afford drivers an improved digital co-pilot experience thanks to modifications to Tesla's 'Autopilot' feature.

The U.S.-based automaker briefly informed its Chinese clientele via app about the upcoming changes before retracting the notification, which was shared widely on social media. According to insiders, the notice was genuinely from Tesla but mistakenly dispatched ahead of schedule. The form and function of the improvements will bear resemblances to Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' but will still lag the U.S. standard due to incomplete data calibration for Chinese traffic conditions.

Even though Tesla has not commented publicly on the update, Bloomberg notes that the software will be deployed to customers who have paid the equivalent of $8,830. The new capabilities will include automatic lane changes and enhanced intersection navigation, although substantial regulatory and technological hurdles remain, primarily due to U.S. government restrictions on training AI systems in China.

(With inputs from agencies.)