Gasgoo Munich- Volkswagen Group China said on October 26 that it had obtained a permit for Level 3 automated-driving road tests in Hefei and had begun testing. The company said the approval was granted under what it described as China's most stringent current regulatory framework for Level 3 testing and complies with the latest mandatory safety-design standards.
Image source: Volkswagen Group China
Key Takeaways
·Volkswagen Group China said the permit marks another step toward its goal of achieving Level 3 technology readiness in 2027.
·Supported by its local intelligent-driving center, CARIAD, the group has developed its first all-scenario advanced driver-assistance system, Hyper Sense 8 (HS8).
·Volkswagen Group China said its self-developed GAIA 2.0 world model can conduct daily safety simulations equivalent to 5 million kilometers of real-world driving and uses up to 30 million scenario clips collected from public roads.
·The group is also developing its in-house C7H system-on-chip, which it said is designed to support capabilities up to Level 4.
Technology and validation
Volkswagen Group China is targeting 10 million kilometers of simulated training per day for GAIA 2.0. The company said the volume of data and training is intended to improve the system's ability to respond to rare and unexpected traffic situations.
Ralf Brandstätter, chairman and CEO of Volkswagen Group China, said the permit would allow the company to test in real traffic conditions and collect data at scale in Hefei. He described the approval as an important step toward Level 3 technology readiness while emphasizing safety and reliability as development priorities.
