Changan Automobile and Arcfox
China is accelerating the commercialization of urban autonomous driving by conditionally approving the "product entry" of two mass-produced Level 3 (L3) autonomous vehicles.
On December 15, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced that it has approved the product entry applications submitted by Changan Automobile and Arcfox, a subsidiary of Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC), for vehicles equipped with their respective L3-level autonomous driving features. Product entry approval is an administrative procedure that allows a vehicle to be registered as an officially recognized automobile product by the state. This approval is required for local mass production, sales, and license plate registration. Unlike previous pilot projects for autonomous driving that were limited to certain areas in Wuhan and parts of Beijing, this procedure grants the status of an official vehicle, enabling mass production and sales.
The approved models are pure electric vehicles developed and produced by Changan Automobile (SC7000AAARBEV) and Arcfox (BJ7001A61NBEV), and their autonomous driving features can only be used in designated sections. Changan Automobile’s vehicle can drive autonomously for up to 50 kilometers on sections such as the Neihuan Expressway, Xinneihuan Expressway, and Weidu Avenue in Chongqing. Arcfox’s electric vehicle can operate autonomously at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour on sections such as the Jingtai Expressway and the Beixian Expressway leading to Daxing Airport in Beijing.
Level 3 autonomous driving corresponds to "conditional automation" according to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standards. Unlike Level 2, where the driver is fully responsible for driving, in Level 3, the manufacturer or system provider may be held liable for accidents that occur within the autonomous driving sections.
Currently, Level 4 vehicles, which are capable of full self-driving, are also operating in some parts of Wuhan and Beijing. However, these are only allowed as experimental pilot projects and not for commercialization. Given that the L3 commercial vehicle market amounts to several million units, its scale and industrial impact are much greater compared to the L4 market, which is limited to robotaxis.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology emphasized, "Together with relevant ministries and local authorities, we will strengthen monitoring and safety management of autonomous vehicles and organize data in a timely manner. We will continue to improve the entry management, standards, and regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles to promote the high-quality development of the related industry in China."
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