GAC Group eyes trial operation of Level 4 autonomous cars in 2023

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GAC Group strives to achieve the pilot operation of level 4 autonomous cars in designated regions in 2023, Feng Xingya, president of GAC Group, revealed at the Global Intelligent Vehicle Summit (GIV2020).

To fulfill that goal, the Guangzhou-based automaker will continue to explore software development and improve the planning of the core technical roadmap related to intelligent vehicles, said Feng.

(Photo source: GAC Group)

He said the intelligent vehicle will have brilliant development prospects in China. Given the technical complexity and high cost in developing level 4 and level 5 autonomous driving technologies, GAC Group is greatly supportive of the V2X (vehicle-to-everything) solution. Feng added that the V2X is reconcilable to the development of the single vehicle’s intelligence, while the latter will involve much more investment in building terminal facilities.

Taking autonomous driving technology as the gateway to future automobile world, automakers are scrambling to make relevant business deployment, aiming to take the lead in this nascent domain.

In 2014, GAC Group Automotive Engineering Institute signed an agreement with The Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, one of the subordinate units of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for the cooperation on NEV-used autonomous driving technologies.

Besides, GAC Group also forged partnership in 2018 with Pony.ai, a Chinese self-driving startup. Both parties agreed then to team up on autonomous driving, capital and mobility service.

Many Chinese indigenous automakers, such as Geely, Great Wall Motor, BAIC Group, Changan and Chery, have conveyed the plan of launching level 3 autonomous cars in 2020. Some OEMs offered more aggressive timetable. For instance, FAW Group said the level 4 autonomous vehicles jointly developed with Baidu would be mass produced this year.