SHANGHAI, Feb 25 — Tesla plans to update software in cars in China to add driving-assistance capabilities that will help drivers navigate city streets, according to a company notification and two people with direct knowledge of the matter.The US automaker yesterday notified customers of the update to its “Autopilot” feature via its app but retracted the notice within minutes, showed multiple posts on social media.The notice was authentic but sent prematurely, the two people told Reuters.The update will add features similar to those available with Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” but less advanced than what is available in the United States due to insufficient data training on Chinese roads and traffic rules, one of the people said. The US government prohibits training in China, Tesla has said.FSD is a feature-rich suite of technologies developed using more advanced generative artificial intelligence compared with the assistance offered by Autopilot.Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.Bloomberg first reported the update, saying Tesla will deploy it in coming days to customers who have paid 64,000 yuan (RM38,974) for the limited FSD currently available in China.Tesla will remotely update cars in batches, showed the notification, which social media users posted online. It did not mention Full Self-Driving.Added capabilities will include automatic lane-changing depending on speed and route as well as detecting traffic lights at intersections and deciding whether to turn, the notification showed. An in-car camera will also monitor driver attention.Tesla has been working to bring full Autopilot and FSD systems to China but pushed back its initial goal to this year from the end of last year. CEO Elon Musk last month said Tesla was “in a bit of a bind” in deploying FSD due in part to technology restrictions imposed by both the US and China.Domestic rivals have already deployed advanced smart driving features. This month, BYD started offering advanced autonomous driving features on most of its models including those priced as low as US$9,555 (RM42,176). Tesla’s lowest price in China is about US$32,400. — Reuters