BEIJING – Tesla has launched a recruitment drive for driver-assistance roles in China after repeated delays to the launch of technology seen as key to competing with a local rivals such as Xiaomi and Huawei Technologies.The US automaker posted job openings earlier in May for positions including autopilot test engineers, data labelers and real test operators, marked “urgent,” according to company recruitment notices on its website. The hiring spree spans nine major Chinese cities, including key auto and tech hubs Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou.Chief executive officer Elon Musk has long viewed the launch of Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving (FSD) – which despite its name still requires constant human supervision and intervention – as crucial for the company’s next stage of growth in China, where it has steadily been losing market share to local carmakers.Mr Musk had previously expected to officially launch the advanced driver-assistance technology as early as February, but in April executives said regulatory approval is now expected by the third quarter of 2026. China is such an important market for Tesla that Mr Musk was among a group of US executives who accompanied President Donald Trump on his trip to Beijing last week. The new roles underscore the logistical and technical hurdles Tesla is working to overcome to get the software over the line. According to the job descriptions, Autopilot Test Engineers will require significant flexibility, with responsibilities including domestic and international travel to perform validation testing for both existing and upcoming regulatory and rating protocols. Candidates must possess the ability to interpret intricate local regulations and test procedures, it said.Cracking the Chinese market for advanced driver-assistance is vital for Tesla as it battles an onslaught of homegrown rivals. Companies like Xiaomi, Huawei and Xpeng have deployed their own sophisticated urban driving systems as standard features, eroding Tesla’s technological edge.A successful deployment of FSD also represents more than just a premium feature upgrade, and is a cornerstone of Tesla’s long-term financial strategy. The company is betting on the software to attract tech-savvy consumers and unlock a lucrative stream of recurring subscription revenue to offset a bruising EV price war in China that has squeezed automotive margins globally. Mr Musk has also staked the company’s future on winning the race to full autonomous driving, saying without it the US$1.5 trillion company is just another automaker. While Tesla has received partial approvals in China and started pilot test launches more than a year ago, it has been unable to move forward with a nationwide rollout. It also dropped the FSD moniker in China in 2025 to comply with tougher local rules that require automakers to be clear about what their features can and can’t do.The carmaker has spent years laying the groundwork for its assisted driving technology in the country by establishing a local data centre in Shanghai and forging a mapping partnership with Baidu. BLOOMBERG