Gasgoo Munich- During a high-level insight session at the 2026 Teda Automotive Forum opened in Tianjin, Zhang Xiaoyu—chief scientist at China Changan Automobile Group and executive vice president at Chongqing Changan Automobile—highlighted a persistent challenge. "Safety concerns and a lack of trust remain the primary concerns for users regarding intelligent driving assistance technology," he stated.
Zhang noted that while driver-assist system penetration is rising, actual usage remains low, a problem rooted in user trust. Changan is pursuing a simultaneous advancement in technical capability and trust systems. The goal is to resolve the trust deficit, bridge the widening gap between availability and adoption, and remove barriers to mass deployment.
Image source: Teda Forum
Data-driven approaches are reshaping the R&D paradigm for driving algorithms. The shift from rule-based to data-driven systems is altering behavior patterns, enabling human-like decision-making in complex road conditions.
China Changan is committed to the challenging but necessary path of autonomous technology. Built on the Tianshu model—a one-stage, end-to-end multimodal interaction AI—the system provides advanced safety intelligence covering perception, visual processing, motion control, body balance, and emotional response.
As one of the first companies approved for Level 3 autonomous driving deployment, China Changan’s executives and teams have completed 1 million kilometers of road testing across 45 cities. As of Sept. 3—during the 6th Technology Ecology Conference—users had logged a cumulative 15.39 billion kilometers. The system triggered active emergency braking (AEB) 1,520 times and automated parking maneuvers 1,243 times.
Zhang noted that smart vehicles have become a convergence point for capital, traffic, technology, and ecosystems. To succeed, they must effectively bridge connections between three distinct ecosystems: users, services, and industry.
The automotive sector must evolve from fragmented niches into a broader industry and ecosystem, using integrated innovation to create a virtuous cycle of high investment and returns. China Changan has already partnered with traffic platforms, capital firms, and ICT suppliers to support the goals of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
China Changan is advancing four key transformations: deepening intelligence while upholding extreme safety; pursuing green initiatives to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions; strengthening integration to build a "comprehensive industry and ecosystem"; and expanding globalization to shift from merely exporting products to exporting industries.
