China seeks safe and quick progress on assisted driving technology
Last year, China's government lined up nine carmakers for public tests to advance the adoption of self-driving cars.
In their Level 3 push, Chinese regulators also are upping the regulatory ante by holding carmakers and parts suppliers liable if their systems fail and cause an accident. Legislation passed in Britain last year adopted a similar approach to liability.
At the Shanghai auto show in April, several companies touted progress toward rolling out vehicles with Level 3 capability. Tech giant Huawei said it is ready to introduce a Level 3 system for highways after simulated testing of more than 600-million kilometres. It showed a video of drivers and passengers singing karaoke as the car drove itself.
Geely's Zeekr brand debuted the luxury SUV 9X, featuring Level 3 software the carmaker said is ready for mass production in the third quarter if regulations allow. Zeekr is also applying to be part of a second batch of carmakers to undergo government Level 3 validation tests.
Traditional carmakers at the Shanghai auto show such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen said they were pushing their most advanced assisted driving features but stopped short of crossing the Level 3 liability line.
Getting there is a challenge as they are at a cost disadvantage against their Chinese rivals, analysts said.
Mercedes-Benz CTO Markus Schaefer told Reuters while chip and computing power prices have fallen, the additional safety required for Level 3 will cost much more.
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