China approves nine automakers for L3 intelligent connected vehicle pilot program

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On June 4, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Transport jointly announced the selection of nine consortia for the L3 intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) pilot program.

This announcement follows the guidelines set forth in the "Notice on Conducting the Pilot Program for Intelligent Connected Vehicle Access and Road Traffic," issued in November 2023. The notice outlines the criteria for selecting L3 and L4 autonomous vehicles, capable of mass production, to participate in the pilot program, based on road tests and demonstration applications for ICVs.

SL03; photo credit: Changan Automobile

The nine entities selected for the pilot program include major automotive players such as Changan Automobile, BYD, GAC Motor, SAIC Motor, BAIC Group, FAW Group, SAIC Hongyan, Yutong Bus, and NIO. Notably, Changan Automobile, BYD, GAC Motor, and SAIC Motor have previously received L3 autonomous driving road test licenses. However, global automakers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Tesla, despite also holding L3 road test licenses and actively promoting FSD in China, were not included in the pilot program.

et5; photo credit: NIO

It is important to note that the inclusion in the pilot program does not equate to official approval for road access or market entry for these ICVs. The pilot program will be implemented in five phases: pilot application, product access pilot, road traffic pilot, suspension and exit, and evaluation and adjustment. Currently, the program has only completed the initial selection phase.

Next steps for the selected consortia involve developing and refining detailed product access testing and safety assessment plans. These must be conducted under multi-party supervision. Upon meeting all requirements, car manufacturers will submit their product access applications to the MIIT for the product access pilot phase.

Following the acquisition of access qualifications, vehicles must be registered with the traffic management department of the public security authorities to conduct on-road pilot tests in designated areas. Moreover, those engaged in transport operations must obtain the necessary operating qualifications and comply with relevant operational management requirements.