After three years, Elon Musk, the global electric vehicle giant Tesla CEO, visited China again.

At 3 pm on May 30, Musk took a private official aircraft at the Bay Stream G650ER privately at the Bay Stream of $ 66.5 million (about S $ 89.98 million) at the Beijing Capital International Airport and opened his 10th China trip.

Musk's last visit to China was in January 2020, when the crown disease epidemic had not spread on a large scale.He participated in the delivery ceremony of Tesla's domestic Model 3 in Shanghai, and performed a dance as an impromptu -like improvisation before the delivery ceremony.What kind of "performance" will Musk bring in China this time has aroused a lot of attention.

When Musk participated in the delivery ceremony of Tesla's domestic Model 3 in Shanghai in 2020, an impromptu performed a dance.(Musk Twitter Screenshot)

Musk's high -profile visit to China

Musk is received in high standards in China.After he arrived in Beijing, he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in his first stop.

Qin Gang said on Musk on Tuesday (May 30) that China will continue to ubilities to promote high levels of openness to the outside world, to create a better business environment for rule of law for enterprises, including Tesla

Qin Gang also does not forget to talk about Sino -US relations. He used Tesla's metaphorical Sino -US relations that he needs to advance the quasi -steering wheel along the correct direction of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win -win cooperation."Timely 'Step on the brakes' to avoid 'dangerous driving'; be good at 'stepping on the accelerator' and promote mutually beneficial cooperation."

Musk (left) met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on Tuesday.(Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Musk said that the Chinese people's diligence and wisdom, and the achievements of China's development are taken for granted.The interests of the United States and China blend, just like a conjoined infant.Tesla opposes the detachable chain and is willing to continue to expand its business in China.

Musk also visited the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China the next day (May 31) to meet with the Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong.According to official Chinese news, the two sides exchanged opinions on the development of new energy vehicles and intelligent connected cars, but China and Tesla did not disclose the content of the conversation between the two sides.

Musk also met with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao that afternoon to communicate on issues such as Sino -US economic and trade cooperation and Tesla's development in China.

Wang Wentao said that China is comprehensively promoting Chinese -style modernization and expanding its high levels of opening up.China will continue to ensure service guarantee efficient and pragmatic, and support foreign -funded enterprises in China for a long time and stable development in China.Musk praised China's development vitality and potential, expressed confidence in the Chinese market, and was willing to continue to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

On the same day, Musk also met with Zeng Yuqun, founder and chairman of the global power battery leader Ningde Times.The photos circulating on the Internet show that Musk and Zeng Yuqun moved forward side by side in a hotel lobby. The distance was close and the expression was relaxed and happy.In Ningde, he did not come up with the authenticity of the photo.

Network photos show that Musk (from four from right) and the chairman of Ningde Times Zeng Yuqun move forward side by side in a hotel lobby. The distance is close and the expression is relaxed and happy.(Internet)

According to Bloomberg, Musk is expected to visit Tesla Shanghai Super Factory, and may meet with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang to negotiate with Tesla's introduction of autonomous driving technology into Chinese matters.When Musk visited China in 2019, he was received by then Prime Minister Li Keqiang.

Three major events to be reached by Musk

Before Musk's visit to China, he did not put forward the goal to achieve this trip.However, everything is on the Sanbao Hall. It is generally believed that Musk has three major things to do: expand the Shanghai Super Factory, the Mouga Bureau's Energy Storage Super Factory and promote the full autonomous driving into China.

Tesla built a super factory in Shanghai in January 2019, and entered the production stage in December of the same year.This out -of -the -ground super factory has become a turning point in Tesla's capability to bottom out.

After the Tesla Shanghai plant was completed, it took the achievement of the delivery of 1 million vehicles in three years.According to Tesla annual reports, Tesla's total global delivery was 1.31 million in 2022, of which the Shanghai plant contributed more than half of its production capacity.

Tesla Shanghai Super Factory is the largest production base of this electric vehicle manufacturer.(Internet)

Today, Tesla is upgrading the annual capacity of the Shanghai factory for the modification of Model 3, hoping to double the original 1 million to 2 million.Outsiders speculate that Musk's visit to China this time is also to promote this expansion plan.

If the Tesla Shanghai Super Factory is a great gift from Musk to China before visiting China in 2020, the first overseas energy storage super factory in Nausla landed in Shanghai, ShanghaiAnother great gift sent before visiting China.

Tesla announced in early April this year to build an energy storage super factory in Lingang, Shanghai. This is another super investment in China since the Shanghai Super Factory.

It is reported that this factory will be used to produce Tesla Megapack (super large commercial energy storage battery). In the early stage, the planned annual commercial energy storage battery can reach 10,000 units, and the energy storage scale is nearly 40GWH (Gigamina Watshi timeTo.The new plant will start in the third quarter of 2023 and be put into production in the second quarter of next year.

This plan is welcomed by China's official, because it helps the Chinese government to accelerate the development goal of the construction of facilities such as charging piles and energy storage and power grid.According to the surging news analysis, Musk met with Zeng Yuqun in China. The content of the discussion may include the energy storage battery supply of the Shanghai Energy Storage Super Factory.

However, for Musk, the goal that is more important and more difficult to achieve is to allow Tesla fully autonomous driving services to land in the Chinese market, because Tesla's fate in the Chinese market is bet onThis product.

Tesla cars entered the Chinese market as early as 2012.But over the past 10 years, Tesla has not launched complete autonomous driving services in China.

Tesla's autonomous driving products mainly have three main categories: AP (automatic auxiliary driving), EAP (enhanced auxiliary driving) and FSD (fully autonomous driving).Among them, AP and EAP have landed in China, but Tesla’s soul product FSD has so farIt can't open China's door.

If FSD can fully enter China, Tesla software's localization iterative speed and potential income may exceed market expectations.In the first quarter of this year's financial report, Musk even said that if the FSD achieved large -scale landing, the company may sell vehicles with zero profit.

The main functions of fully autonomous driving (FSD) include navigation auxiliary driving (NOA), automatic lanes, automatic parking, intelligent summoning, traffic signal recognition, (navigation route-based) urban road automaticTurn, etc.The picture shows the Tesla FSD schematic diagram.(Internet)

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Tesla is still waiting for the Chinese government to turn on a green light for Tesla's autonomous driving technology.

Tesla survives in the cracks of the Chinese market

However, whether Musk can achieve the goal of this trip is still a question mark.

With the gradual saturation of the Chinese electric vehicle market and the upgrading of geopolitical contradictions between China and the United States, Tesla's survival in the Chinese market is becoming more difficult.

During the completion of the Shanghai Factory of Tesla, the Chinese electric vehicle market was in the development stage, and Tesla seized a large part of the market share.As the electric vehicle market is saturated, Tesla, which is committed to maintaining the leading position in this market, will have to seize the gradually reduced market share with local opponents such as Weilai Automobile and BYD.

At the same time, in order to solve the problem of overcapacity in the automotive industry, the China National Development and Reform Commission is more conservative when approving the new production capacity, making it difficult for Tesla to increase the company's sales through expanding production capacity.

Even if the Chinese government turns on a green light for Tesla's expansion plan, it is a big problem to digest these capacity in the shrinking market share.

According to the data of China's passenger car market information joint data, Tesla's market share in China has dropped from about 15%in 2020 to 10%last year, down nearly one -third.

The monitoring data of the High -Advanced Intelligent Automobile Research Institute showed that Tesla's delivery volume (all pure electric vehicles) in the Chinese market (excluding import and export) last year (excluding import and export) had declined from 13.53%in the previous year.To 11.57%.In the same period, the delivery of all pure electric vehicles in the Chinese market increased by 74.43%year -on -year.Obviously, Tesla did not win the market.

BYD is China's largest new energy vehicle manufacturer, and its electric vehicle price starts from $ 5,000.(Internet)

In addition, the Chinese government's alertness of foreign companies in China has also caused Tesla's expansion in China.

Bloomberg reported in January this year that Tesla's third -phase expansion plan for the Shanghai Super Factory to be implemented in the middle of this year was delayed indefinitely because the Chinese government worried that the Starlink (Starlink of Musk's space company SpaceX (Starlink (Starlink) Plan will cause data security issues.

Earlier, China had worried that the Tesla cars might collect sensitive data and prohibit Tesla cars from entering sensitive areas.For example, Tesla Motors was banned from driving in the Beidaihe area of Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province last July, at least two months, because the Beidaihe Conference may be held during this period.

In May 2021, there are also reports that some local governments and institutions in China have evaluated the situation of Tesla cars due to security doubts, and prohibit them from driving Tesla cars into institutional buildings.

If the FSD landed in China, it means that Tesla will hold more geographical data such as Chinese architecture and environment.The Chinese government's wishes to Tesla undoubtedly made Musk's FSD's road to China more far away.

Although Tesla has ushered in a peak in the Chinese market, various signs show that with the upgrading of the Sino -US competitive situation and saturation of the electric vehicle market, China's enthusiasm for Tesla may not be as high as before.

But China still chooses to treat Musk this time, showing that China ’s foreign companies are holding their careers, and still want to use Musk China to release the signal that China insists on opening to the outside world to the outside world.

China is the world's largest electric vehicle market and Tesla's second largest market in overseas. Tesla's expansion in China can bring huge commercial interests. This account Musk cannot be considered.

Musk's visit to China this time can be said to be a trust ticket that has been voted for China when the Sino -US friction is constantly friction and "decoupling theory" is very arrogant.However, how to make China also vote for Tesla's trust and prevent Tesla's market dividend disappear, it will be one of the problems that Musk has to face.