Tesla FSD Goes Global Subscription; Buyout Option Ends in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan on June 30

Tesla has globally transitioned its Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability to a subscription-only sales model. Starting June 30, 2024, the Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan regions will discontinue the one-time purchase option for FSD, after which users will only be able to access the feature via subscription. The previous one-time purchase price in these three regions was approximately RMB 47,000. Currently, FSD has been rolled out in Hong Kong and Macau but is not yet fully available to all users; Taiwan has already submitted its application for regulatory approval to deploy the supervised version on public roads and is progressing rapidly. During an earnings call, Tesla’s CFO stated that the company aims to secure full commercial approval for FSD in mainland China by the third quarter of 2026, though the exact launch date for the subscription model in mainland China has not yet been determined. This global shift in sales strategy is not a temporary measure: after piloting subscriptions in the U.S. in 2021, Tesla permanently discontinued the FSD one-time purchase option in the U.S. on February 14, 2024, with a monthly fee of $99. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have since followed suit. As of the first quarter of 2024, Tesla reported 1.28 million FSD subscribers worldwide, representing a 51% year-over-year increase.