Tesla bets big on China: smart driving heads onto the streets for real-world testing

Tesla has opened around 90 Smart Driving Test Technician and ADAS Test Operator roles in nine Chinese cities, signalling a serious move toward broader FSD approval expected in Q3 2026.

Tesla has sharply accelerated preparations for the launch of smart driving in China. The company has opened around 90 vacancies for Smart Driving Test Technicians and ADAS Test Operators across nine cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Wuhan.

Judging by the job descriptions, the new hires will be tasked with finding bugs in fresh software builds and running tests on public roads, proving grounds and dedicated test tracks. The requirements are anything but a formality: at least three years behind the wheel, a clean record for the past year, more than 10,000 km driven per year and solid familiarity with ADAS and Autopilot.

The market read this as groundwork for full FSD approval. Elon Musk had previously spoken of “partial clearance” in China, but on the Q1 2026 earnings call Tesla executives clarified that broader regulatory approval is now expected by the third quarter.

Tesla is localising the digital side of its cars in parallel. The in-car voice assistant in China now relies on ByteDance’s Doubao model for navigation, climate and media, while DeepSeek Chat handles more complex AI requests. It’s an important step: without a local ecosystem, FSD will struggle to compete with Chinese brands.

In April, Tesla sold 25,956 cars in China — down 9.7% year on year and 53.7% from March. The Model Y accounted for 22,990 of those sales, making it the third best-selling model in the country. For Tesla, the FSD launch in China is not just another feature — it’s a way to win back attention in a market where local rivals already sell advanced driver assistance as standard.