XPeng, Baidu, WeRide, and Pony.ai are accelerating robotaxi programs for 2026.
- Elon Musk said Chinese regulators may grant Tesla full approval for its Full Self-Driving system by early 2026.
- XPeng, Baidu, WeRide, and Pony.ai are accelerating robotaxi programs for 2026.
- Musk hinted Tesla could soon classify FSD as Level 3 or 4 autonomy, allowing “text and drive” capability.
Tesla Inc. is doubling down on its autonomous-driving ambitions in China, with CEO Elon Musk saying regulators have indicated the company could receive full approval for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system by February or March 2026. The U.S. automaker currently has partial approval to conduct limited public trials in the world’s largest electric-vehicle market.
Speaking at Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, where his $1 trillion compensation package was approved, Musk said Chinese authorities had informed the company that full approval could come “around February or March.” The FSD rollout is a cornerstone of Tesla’s plan to revive sales in China, where it faces mounting pressure from local automakers rapidly scaling advanced driver-assistance features.
Tesla’s timeline coincides with an aggressive domestic push by Chinese competitors to commercialize fully driverless fleets by 2026.
XPeng Prepares 2026 Robotaxi Rollout
XPeng plans to roll out three mass-produced Level 4 robotaxi models next year using its proprietary “AI Driver” system and four in-house “Turing” AI chips delivering up to 3,000 TOPS of compute power. The company has partnered with Alibaba’s Amap to integrate real-time traffic and navigation data for urban operation without relying on high-definition maps.
Baidu’s Apollo Go Scales Up
Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi fleet has over 1,000 fully driverless vehicles across 15 cities, including Beijing, Wuhan, and Chongqing, and has logged more than 11 million rides to date. Baidu plans to expand Apollo Go internationally, with driverless deployments in Dubai, Germany, and the U.K. planned for 2026.
WeRide And Pony.ai Expand Footprints
WeRide operates a fully driverless service in Guangzhou, while Pony.ai runs autonomous taxis in Shenzhen and Beijing and expects to grow its fleet to 1,000 vehicles by year-end. Backed by Toyota Motor, Pony.ai has also secured partnerships in Dubai and Qatar to deploy its technology overseas.
“Our American peers started the development earlier, but we are certainly catching up really fast,” said James Peng, CEO of Pony.ai, according to a Bloomberg report. He credited China’s low-cost sensor supply chain and deep engineering talent pool as competitive advantages.
Baidu’s RT6 And Tesla’s Cybercab Set Pricing Contrast
Baidu’s newest Apollo Go vehicle, the RT6, built by Jiangling Motors, costs around 204,600 yuan ($28,800) and features eight lidars, 12 cameras, voice controls, and reclining massage seats.
Tesla’s comparable Cybercab prototype, revealed a year ago, is expected to start production in 2026 and target a sub-$30,000 price, though prior FSD milestones and pricing promises have slipped repeatedly.
Musk Hints At Level 4 Leap As Tesla Eyes “Text And Drive” FSD Rollout
At the same shareholder meeting, Musk reiterated that Tesla was “a few months away” from delivering unsupervised Full Self-Driving, effectively shifting his latest autonomy timeline into 2026. He also said the company plans to let owners “text and drive” while using supervised FSD “in a month or two,” without clarifying how Tesla would navigate laws that ban phone use behind the wheel.
Musk’s remark suggests Tesla may be preparing to officially classify FSD as a Level 3 or Level 4 autonomous system, marking a shift that would require the company to assume full responsibility when the system is active. Tesla’s FSD currently remains categorized as a Level 2 driver-assist system. So far, Tesla has confined its hands-off trials to internal robotaxi pilots under controlled conditions.
Stocktwits Mood Turns Bullish
On Stocktwits, sentiment for Tesla was ‘extremely bullish’ amid ‘extremely high’ message volume, as the retail trading community actively discussed the stock’s prospects based on the range of promises made by Musk at the shareholder event.
Tesla’s stock has risen 10% so far in 2025.
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