Following the previous rumors in the technology community that Tesla has stalled due to the bottleneck of "full self-driving" technology, its founder Elon Musk mysteriously appeared in Beijing yesterday with the world's most luxurious private jet "Gulfstream G650ER".
It is widely speculated that Musk's secret visit to China this time is to negotiate and lay out the promotion of Tesla's FSD (Full Self-Driving) system in the domestic market. Because just last week, new domestic regulations for self-driving cars have been introduced, which means that car companies, including Tesla, have ushered in an important test and opportunity period for the mass production of fully autonomous driving systems.
Musk accelerates the implementation of FSD in China?
It is rumored that Musk attaches great importance to the promotion of FSD technology in the domestic market, and may even be the main reason for this unprecedented trip. As we all know, Tesla has always adhered to the concept of "cameras as eyes", and realizes autonomous driving by collecting the visual information of 8 cameras around the vehicle and feeding it into the AI algorithm model.
This concept has been controversial, but Tesla has accumulated more than 1.6 billion kilometers of real-world road test data around the world, providing important support for the continuous evolution of the FSD system. Now, Musk hopes to make a breakthrough in China, the world's largest new energy vehicle market, with this system.
According to sources, Musk's trip is likely to be to negotiate the promotion of the FSD system in China, and even strive for Tesla to become the first batch of self-driving models approved for mass production on the road. Once a breakthrough is made, it will be a major positive for Tesla's impact on the Chinese and global markets.
The appearance of "Rolls-Royce in the airplane" is meaningful
Musk's personal flight to Beijing on a Gulfstream G650ER private jet is undoubtedly the best reflection of the importance attached to this matter. This world's top private jet, known as the "Rolls-Royce of aircraft", costs as much as 600 million yuan, and Musk has as many as 4 of them.
With a maximum range of 13,890 kilometers and a top flight speed of Mach 0.925, this aircraft has the best performance figures for private jets in its class, making it the perfect choice for luxury mobile offices in the sky. Musk's personal ride in such a high-profile manner undoubtedly indicates the importance of this trip.
New domestic regulations have been introduced, and the pattern of autonomous driving is changing
Another important background of Musk's trip coincides with the new regulations for self-driving cars that have just been introduced by domestic regulators, which will undoubtedly accelerate the reshuffle and reshaping of the domestic autonomous driving market.
The new regulations clearly require that autonomous vehicles must ensure that risks are under control, and that manufacturers must take full responsibility for possible accidents. This puts forward higher technical safety requirements for car companies, including Tesla.
It is reported that an important purpose of Musk's trip is to lobby and lay out the application of Tesla's FSD system on the road in China. Once the FSD system is approved for use in the Chinese market, it will mark a major breakthrough for Tesla in the field of global autonomous driving.
According to industry analysts, if Tesla can take the lead in realizing the implementation of the full autonomous driving system in China, the world's largest market, it will further consolidate and expand its leading edge in this field. This will also put tremendous pressure on other car companies.
It is a major strategic layout, and global car companies are highly concerned
It is not difficult to see that behind Musk's trip is a major strategic layout for global car companies to fight for China's autonomous driving market. Once the breakthrough of autonomous driving in the domestic market is achieved, it will establish a future development route and a new competitive landscape for global peers.
Therefore, Musk's trip is not only a great attention paid by Tesla to the Chinese market, but also the focus of the entire electric intelligent car industry. In the coming period, this emerging field will usher in an unprecedented decisive battle, and Musk's trip is an important move to start.
Will Musk be able to get his wish?
The implementation of autonomous driving technology is not an easy task, especially in the Chinese market, where the road environment is complex and the legal and regulatory system is not perfect. But Musk's airborne landing in Beijing this time has undoubtedly injected strong impetus into Tesla's layout in this field.
His arrival will not only promote Tesla's further development in the domestic market, but also bring new opportunities and huge challenges to the entire autonomous driving industry. Once Tesla achieves a breakthrough in the field of autonomous driving in China, it will further expand its leading position in this cutting-edge technology field.
For other domestic car companies, they will fall into a passive situation of being passively beaten. Therefore, Musk's battle can be said to have the major interests of Tesla and global car companies, and the outside world will naturally pay close attention to the results of his trip.
Tesla is willing to take all risks into self-driving
Just when Musk just came to China, Tesla also released a bombshell signal - if an accident occurs during the use of the FSD system, Tesla is willing to take full responsibility.
This commitment has undoubtedly paved an important way for the FSD system to be implemented in China. Because according to the latest new regulations on autonomous vehicle management, car companies must be fully responsible for the autonomous driving function of the vehicle, and in the event of an accident, they must pay unconditionally, which is one of the keys to whether or not to approve mass production.
According to the analysis of industry insiders, the reason why Tesla has the confidence to make such a commitment is based on the strong technical strength of the FSD system. Through continuous learning and algorithm iteration, its performance will improve day by day, and in the future, it will even surpass the level of human drivers.
In addition, Tesla has accumulated more than 1.6 billion kilometers of real road test mileage around the world, which provides important data support for the optimization of the FSD system. It can be said that Tesla is at the forefront of the field of autonomous driving.
Musk's trip is likely to be to carry out specific negotiations with the regulatory authorities on key issues such as the release of the FSD system in China. Once approved, it will clear the biggest obstacle for the full rollout of autonomous driving systems in China.
How can new energy giants dare to undertake all-inclusive?
In the face of Tesla's blockbuster promise, many consumers and industry insiders will inevitably question, what kind of confidence does a private enterprise rely on to dare to make such bold statements?
In fact, Tesla is no longer a simple new energy vehicle manufacturer, it is committed to becoming a high-tech company integrating intelligent networking and autonomous driving. Musk has repeatedly said that the value of cars in the future will mainly come from autonomous driving and software systems.
In this area, Tesla already has a leading position. Based on the Autopilot assisted driving system, FSD has been further upgraded to fully autonomous driving, which is the top level in the industry. At the same time, Tesla's investment in self-driving algorithms and hardware is industry-leading.
It can be seen that Tesla's confidence in its own autonomous driving strength stems from its long-term efforts and continuous investment in this field. This willingness to pay for the accident is based on confidence in technology and grasp of market dominance.
Domestic car companies have touched the nerves of autonomous driving
Tesla's active layout of autonomous driving in China has naturally attracted great attention from domestic car companies. Some businesses seem to be bracing for this wave as well.
For example, Xpeng Motors' advanced driver assistance system NGP has been open for road testing, and Geely has announced a partnership with Mobike to jointly develop autonomous driving technology. In addition, car companies such as Ideal and Xiaoma have also invested in the field of autonomous driving.
Even if they are fully prepared, it is still a huge challenge for domestic car companies to completely catch up with Tesla's autonomous driving strength in the short term. The battle ahead is going to be fierce.
Musk's airborne landing in China this time will not only trigger Tesla's continuous expansion in this huge market, but also comprehensively promote the curve process of autonomous driving technology in China, setting off a revolution in automotive intelligence.