More importantly, will Tesla ever implement FSD here in Malaysia?
While electric vehicles (EVs) are still dividing enthusiasts and the general public in every country, the pioneer of the global EV boom, Tesla, has been undoubtedly popular for its full self-driving (FSD) capabilities. Despite this, we still do not have FSD on Tesla models here in Malaysia and it seems like we never will.
To make matters worse, Tesla has been expanding its FSD technology globally, mainly in Australia where it has been recruiting FSD testers in Sydney. This testing phase is part of the brand’s broader push to update its FSD offerings, which is expected to be a game-changer for urban and suburban driving.
Moreover, Tesla’s Supervised FSD feature is now available for purchase in Australia, and offers greater convenience for the market. The reason this system was updated and renamed to FSD (Supervised) is a reminder that despite the system allowing the car to navigate itself, it is not perfect or fully accurate, so the driver needs to remain alert.
Tesla owners in Australia have had access to FSD since 2019, but with the recent updates and testing efforts in Sydney, this technology is about to take a major step forward. Elon Musk has hinted that the feature could be available in right-hand-drive markets, such as Australia, by early 2025, which suggests a significant rollout of this advanced technology in the coming years.
The key difference between Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD is in their capabilities. Autopilot is designed primarily for highway driving, focusing on tasks such as lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control, while FSD is designed to handle more complex tasks associated with urban and suburban driving, such as navigating intersections, parking, and handling unmarked roads.
On top of that, we have seen multiple incidents where both the autopilot and FSD systems have caused accidents or crashes, so clearly the system needs more work. Despite this, it appears Tesla is not interested in improving its systems in the country yet still wants to sell its cars without the only features it has that set it apart from cheaper (and more high quality) options.
Now the question arises, If Tesla is rolling out these updates and testing FSD technology in Australia, when will it happen in Malaysia? Given how some Malaysians are obsessed with Tesla and autonomous technology, some may say it is only a matter of time before the country sees similar developments.
Well at the end of the day, Tesla can make anything happen if it wants to given the price of its vehicles here so we shall see when the brand is interested enough to roll out FSD in Malaysia.
