Musk Announces Tesla’s Next FSD Market: UAE

Following a high-profile visit to the United Arab Emirates over the weekend, Elon Musk was asked on X when FSD would make its way to the desert nation. Elon replied with a tight timeline — “Hopefully, next month.”

This would target a January 2026 launch window, potentially making the UAE the fifth nation outside North America to receive FSD, after China, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

Hopefully, next month

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 22, 2025

FSD V13 and HW4?

While in North America, users have access to FSD v14, Tesla is still using v13 in more nations outside of North America. China, Australia, and New Zealand all use versions of FSD v13, with South Korea being the only exception where v14 is available.

Another question on people’s minds is what vehicles will have access to FSD in the UAE. Outside of North America, FSD is only available on HW4 vehicles. While Tesla plans to release FSD for HW3 vehicles in these new regions, they have yet to do so. It’s possible Tesla is waiting for FSD v14 lite to be released next year before allowing FSD on HW3 vehicles in these regions.

The Weekend Context

The timeline comes just days after Elon was spotted in Dubai meeting with Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE. 

The UAE has been aggressively pushing autonomous transportation, and passed Law No. 9 in 2023 to govern the operation of autonomous vehicles. The nation plans to have 25% of all transportation trips in Dubai be smart and autonomous by 2030.

Expanding the Map

If Tesla hits this target, it highlights a growing divide in the global regulatory landscape. While the European Union still remains tangled in the glacial UNECE bureaucracy - which is still finalizing the DCAS regulations required for systems like FSD - agile nations like the UAE and Israel are moving fast to clear red tape.

Elon has previously stated that FSD is technically ready for a global rollout, with local laws being the only bottleneck. By launching in the UAE in January, Tesla is essentially showing that it will prioritize markets that put innovation first, leaving slower regulatory regions to play catch-up in the future.