No Grok in China: Tesla rolls out ByteDance's Doubao and DeepSeek to the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X

Tesla drivers in the US and Europe talk to Grok, the chatbot from Elon Musk's AI company. Tesla drivers in China do not, and they will not any time soon. This week Tesla began rolling out a software update in China that formally builds two Chinese AI models into its cars: Doubao, made by TikTok owner ByteDance, and DeepSeek. It is the clearest sign yet that Tesla's in-car AI is splitting into two worlds.

What the update brings

• Software version: 2026.14.13, according to a report in the Chinese business newspaper 21st Century Business Herald, cited by TechNode.
• Models: the Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X. The update is arriving in batches, first on newly delivered cars and some existing ones.
• Two assistants, two jobs: Doubao handles commands for the car itself, such as navigation, media, air conditioning and questions about the owner's manual. DeepSeek takes care of broader conversation and general questions, including real-time information such as weather and news.
• Voices and modes: four voices and five modes, including real-time information, chat, storytelling, English practice and debate.
• Wake word: drivers can say 'Hey Tesla' or set their own wake word, instead of pressing the voice button on the steering wheel. Tesla North reports that Doubao understands up to 18 regional Chinese dialects.

Both models run on Volcano Engine, ByteDance's cloud platform, rather than on Musk's AI infrastructure.

How we got here

This did not come out of nowhere. In August 2025, Electrek reported that Tesla was adding DeepSeek and Doubao to its cars in China, starting with the six-seat Model Y L. At the time, Electrek noted a striking difference: the Chinese assistants could operate car functions, while Grok in North America could only chat, much like using the app on your phone. Tesla's summer update is set to give Grok a first, short list of car controls, such as climate settings, music and phone calls, but the Chinese system was built around them from the start.

Grok itself first appeared in Teslas in July 2025 and has spread to more countries since. On July 21, Tesla announced that Grok is now available in all of Europe, after a start in nine countries including the UK, Germany and France.

Why not Grok?

Tesla has not explained the choice publicly. Tesla North says using Chinese platforms helps Tesla meet the country's strict rules on data, and adapt the cabin to what Chinese buyers expect. China keeps a close eye on data and on AI services offered to the public, and Chinese buyers are used to cars from local brands with very capable voice assistants. A US chatbot running on US servers would face hurdles on both fronts.

Why it matters for Tesla and SpaceXAI

China is one of Tesla's most important markets and the home of Giga Shanghai. That means a large share of the cars Tesla sells each year will never run Grok. For Musk's AI company, which was taken over by SpaceX in February and renamed SpaceXAI this month, that limits how many drivers its assistant can reach through Tesla.

It also shows that Tesla is willing to use whichever AI works best in a given market, even if it comes from a competitor of Musk's own company. That is a useful counterpoint to critics who see Grok in Teslas mainly as Musk promoting his other businesses. At the same time, it means Tesla has to maintain two different AI systems, with features that will not always match.

What to watch

Look out for how quickly the update reaches existing cars in China, and whether Doubao gets deeper control over car functions than Grok has elsewhere. Also worth watching: whether Tesla's future products for China, such as the Optimus robot, will need Chinese AI partners too.