After Tesla made a surprising over-the-air software update to autos in China, enhancing its Navigate on Autopilot driver-assistance system with Full Self-Driving features such as autopilot for urban roads, some car owners who have pre-ordered the FSD system in 2019 complained they are yet to get the update.

Wang Gaofei, the chief executive of Weibo, the equivalent of China's X platform, said on the Chinese social media app that he spent over CNY600,000 (USD82,645) to pre-order the FSD service six years ago but did not receive the features with Tesla's new update.

The FSD intelligent assisted driving system pushed to Chinese users can only be applied to models equipped with Tesla's fourth-generation autonomous driving hardware system, a local Tesla customer service representative told Yicai. The firm's engineers are working hard to adapt it to more vehicles as soon as possible, the person added.

Tesla will not provide refunds to customers who pre-ordered the FSD service but did not receive the new software update, the customer service representative pointed out.

Tesla launched its fourth-gen autonomous driving hardware system, HW4.0, in October 2023, with the new version capable of supporting a higher level of autonomous driving.

As a global leader in intelligent driving tech, Tesla's FSD has been highly anticipated in China. However, the latest software update is not the complete version of the service, with the company changing its description to "FSD intelligent assisted driving function" from the original "Full Self-Driving" on its local website.

Vehicles using this new CNY64,000 (USD8,795) system can complete most driving tasks with minimal driver intervention, according to the website.

Tesla's main issue regarding the rapid deployment of FSD in China revolves around how basic geographic information and data will be collected and how this data can be securely and compliantly managed, experts previously pointed out. The company has commissioned qualified Chinese firms to carry out the mapping.