GM China team and startup Momenta have worked together to create a self-driving solution for the Chinese market.

(Image credit: GM)

US auto giant General Motors has been given the green light to conduct autonomous driving tests in Shanghai, setting the stage for it to catch up with major local EV makers in the field.

GM recently received permission to conduct L4 autonomous driving road tests in designated areas in Shanghai, the automaker announced today.

The first phase of the tests is scheduled for one year, and Cadillac Lyriq test vehicles will operate in Shanghai's Jinqiao area.

The road tests will help GM better understand China's road scenarios, regulatory requirements and people's habits, and accelerate the development and delivery of customized solutions for Chinese users, said Song Leping, GM China's chief technology officer.

GM will leverage Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta's artificial intelligence technology to accelerate algorithm iterations and lay the foundation for future higher-level autonomous driving tests and operations, according to an article GM published on its WeChat account.

Momenta and GM's local team is working together to build autonomous driving technology for the Chinese market, which has both the potential for large-scale use in private vehicles and seamless integration with the Ultium platform, GM said.

Momenta was founded in 2016 and is a GM-backed company.

On September 23, 2021, GM announced a $300 million investment in Momenta in order to accelerate the development of next-generation autonomous driving technology for future models of its vehicles in China.

GM's announcement of the investment comes after its Chinese partner SAIC said on September 15, 2021, that it had increased its investment in Momenta after becoming the No. 1 institutional investor in March when it led Momenta's Series C funding round.

The two sides will further co-develop full-stack intelligent driving algorithms, promote the accelerated landing of L4 autonomous driving in China, and lead the global industrialization of intelligent driving technology, SAIC said at the time.

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