Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced on Tuesday that it has granted approval to BYD, Nio, and seven other automakers to carry out tests on vehicles with level 3 autonomous driving technologies on public roads.
The list includes major state-owned manufacturers such as Changan, GAC, and SAIC, alongside BAIC, FAW, Hongyan, and Yutong.
The nine automakers will conduct tests on public roads as part of China’s strategy to speed up the adoption of self-driving cars and improve the integration of intelligent connected vehicle systems with road infrastructure.
In late April, Nio chief executive William Li announced the public rollout of Nio’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) NOP+ to all the models from the second generation — affecting nearly 229,000 vehicles in China.
According to a report from China Daily, the country plans to enhance its policy support to accelerate the development of emerging industries including smart connected vehicles.
Fu Bingfeng, executive vice-president and secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, has recently emphasized the future of autonomous cars in the country.
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“Autonomous vehicles will become popular in China at a faster pace than in other countries, as local consumers are very enthusiastic and curious about such functions,” Bingfeng stated.
In December, BYD announced it had obtained a conditional testing license for level 3 (L3) autonomous driving on high-speed roads, making it the first company in China to receive such a license, according to a statement on its official Weibo account.
Additionally, in late 2023, BMW Group reported receiving a test license for L3 self-driving on high-speed roads in Shanghai, while Mercedes-Benz announced plans to carry out L3 tests on designated highways in Beijing.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
