Mr. Musk is scheduled to meet with senior State Council officials and “old friends” in Beijing, a person familiar with the deal said.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CTGN, top executives from SpaceX and Tesla visited China at the invitation of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and met with CCPIT Chairman Ren Hongbin to discuss further cooperation with the country.
Tesla’s India electric vehicle plan remains on track despite postponement of Musk’s visit
Tesla’s India electric vehicle plan remains on track despite postponement of Musk’s visit
Austin, Texas-based Tesla has faced intense competition from Chinese electric car makers in recent years. To maintain its leading position in China’s premium EV segment, the company has reduced prices of its Shanghai-made vehicles by up to 6%.
China is increasingly adopting advanced driver assistance systems and higher levels of self-driving features in mass-produced cars, and Musk said Tesla’s Autopilot and supervised full self-driving (FSD) options will soon be available to Chinese customers. He said it may be provided. A Chinese Tesla owner asked about this on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Grace Tao, Tesla’s vice president of China external relations, wrote an op-ed in China’s state-run newspaper People’s Daily on Friday, saying self-driving is a key growth driver for the country’s new energy vehicle sector, adding that the technology is a new He claimed that it would create new technology. Business models such as robotaxis, a vision that Mr. Musk has embraced.
Musk’s visit to China coincides with the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, which opens on Thursday and runs through Saturday. This year his event attracted more than 1,500 exhibitors, with major companies showing off their latest EVs. Tesla does not have a booth at the show, and last attended in 2021, Reuters reported.
Tesla launches new model ahead of schedule, stock price soars
Tesla launches new model ahead of schedule, stock price soars
During his visit, Musk also met with China’s Vice Prime Minister Ding Xuexiang and China’s Minister of Commerce and Industry. The trip was warmly received by the Chinese public, with social media posts highlighting the Chinese food Musk ate, with some calling him a “pioneer” and a “Brother Ma.”
Chinese EV makers are trying to woo consumers with improved driver-assistance features such as autonomous city and highway navigation and smart parking. According to a report by research firm Counterpoint, China is expected to become the largest connected car market, followed by the US, India, Japan and Germany, with electrification, autonomous driving and advanced infotainment features driving the sector forward. It is said to be the main driving force behind growth.
However, self-driving cars are still more of a dream than a reality in China, and most advanced self-driving robotaxis operate only in designated suburban areas, where traffic conditions are far less complex than in urban areas. allowed.
Self-driving car companies have struggled to turn a profit in China due to high operating costs and low profits from maintaining large robotaxi fleets. Baidu, which has robotaxis in multiple cities, said its self-driving unit will focus on generating revenue and profits after years of burning cash. Smaller companies like WeRide and Pony AI are joining big automakers in trying to monetize their services as robotaxis continue to operate at a loss.
