Tesla livestream ends in head-on collision in China

A Tesla vehicle reportedly drove in the wrong direction and collided head-on with another car during a livestream in China, raising questions about the automaker’s "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) system.

Earlier this year, Tesla launched its Level 2 driver-assist system, FSD, in China. Like in the United States, the system requires constant driver supervision despite its name. Unlike in the US, Chinese authorities quickly forced Tesla to rename the system after determining that the original name overstated its capabilities, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Many Tesla owners in China have been livestreaming their drives using FSD on platforms such as Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), seeking to showcase the system’s autonomous features and compare it with similar offerings from other automakers.

Last week, a Douyin was livestreaming a Tesla Model 3 equipped with FSD when the vehicle veered into the left-hand lane, designated for oncoming traffic, and collided head-on with another car.

Although the livestream did not attract significant attention at the time, video captures of the aftermath quickly went viral online. Fortunately, no one was critically injured in the crash.

Many observers have questioned whether FSD was active during the incident. The driver initially withheld full crash footage, citing a desire to seek direct compensation from Tesla—a step the company is unlikely to entertain. Tesla maintains that it is not responsible for accidents involving its FSD or Autopilot systems.

By Vafa Guliyeva