2023 is a pivotal year for the implementation of advanced autonomous driving technology in China, with progress being made by autonomous driving tech firms, as well as through government policies and infrastructure developments.

Photo credit: Pony.ai

Furthermore, on November 17, 2023, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Transport jointly issued a notice regarding the pilot work for the admission and on-road operation of intelligent connected vehicles.

It was announced that intelligent connected vehicles equipped with L3/L4 autonomous driving capabilities and meeting the conditions for mass production would be allowed to conduct on-road pilot trials within designated areas after obtaining admission permits. The notice also clarified the responsibility for accidents occurring during autonomous driving, which lies with the operating entity.

Subsequently, over 30 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, issued licenses for L3 autonomous driving road tests to automakers, such as GAC Group, BYD, SERES, Changan Auto, IM Motors, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

To summarize the significant events that took place in China's autonomous driving industry over the past year, ZXZC compiled a comprehensive list. Let's take a closer look at these developments.

SERES secures L3 autonomous vehicle road test licenses in Chongqing, Shenzhen

On December 29, Huawei’s automaking partner SERES announced that it has secured L3 autonomous vehicle test licenses in both Chongqing and Shenzhen cities.

3rd-Gen Hongqi L4 Robotaxi passes unmanned driving license test in Beijing

Recently, the AI development arm of FAW Group, FAW (Nanjing) Technology Development Co., Ltd., saw its Hongqi-based L4 Robotaxi passed the L4 Robotaxi unmanned test license examination in the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD), the automaker announced on December 27.

BYD receives conditional L3 autonomous driving vehicle testing license in July 2023

On December 27, BYD announced via its official Weibo account that it had obtained the conditional L3 autonomous driving vehicle testing license in Shenzhen on July 21, becoming the first automotive company in China to receive this permit.

DEEPAL receives highway/expressway autonomous driving vehicle testing license in Chongqing

DEEPAL, Changan Automobile's new energy vehicle brand, announced on Thursday it successfully obtained in November 2023 an autonomous driving test permit for highways and expressways in Chongqing.

ARCFOX granted L3 highway autonomous driving vehicle testing license in Beijing

On December 16, BAIC Group’s premium electric vehicle brand ARCFOX became one of the pioneering enterprises granted the L3 highway autonomous driving test license in Beijing.

IM Motors licensed to test Level 3 autonomous cars in Shanghai

IM Motors' vehicles equipped with L3 autonomous driving capabilities have received the highway/expressway autonomous driving test license in Shanghai, the company announced on December 18.

Mercedes-Benz granted conditional L3 autonomous vehicle testing license in Beijing

On December 16, Mercedes-Benz became one of the initial recipients of Beijing's Level 3 (L3) highway conditional autonomous driving test license, prioritizing safety as it initiates real-road trials of its conditional autonomous driving system on designated highways in the capital city.

Dongfeng Sharing receives autonomous driving road test licenses from Gansu province

China’s Gansu province recently launched its autonomous driving demonstration application, issuing the inaugural autonomous driving demonstration license along with four road test licenses. Dongfeng Sharing, the autonomous driving technology arm of Dongfeng Motor, secured two licenses in this milestone development.

BMW Group licensed to test L3 autonomous cars on expressways in Shanghai

In December 2023, vehicles equipped with Level 3 (L3) autonomous driving features from BMW Group received official road test licenses on highways/expressways in Shanghai.

WeRide launches self-driving Robobus in Qingdao

On December 14, after a month of reliability and stability testing, WeRide's autonomous driving mini-bus (Robobus) commenced its inaugural passenger-filled journey from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport to the airport food court.

WeRide granted T1, M1 autonomous driving road test licenses in Singapore

L4 autonomous driving technology firm WeRide today announced it has received the written notification from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore that allowed the company obtain the Milestone 1 unmanned vehicle public road testing license (M1 license) and the T1 assessment self-driving vehicle public pathway testing license (T1 license).

Dongfeng Sharing launches self-driving bus trial operation in Shiyan, Hubei Province

The Shiyan Intelligent Connected Application Demonstration Project kicked off its on-road trial operations on November 27. Dongfeng Motor’s autonomous driving arm, Dongfeng Sharing, deployed ten self-driving Sharing-Bus into operations in Shiyan, Hubei Province.

China greenlights pilot open-road program for L3/L4 intelligent connected vehicles

On November 17, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Transport jointly released a notice, titled "Notice on Conducting Pilot Program for Intelligent Connected Vehicles."

KUSA Tech's autonomous street cleaning fleet commences operations in Suzhou

KUSA Tech's autonomous street cleaning vehicle, "Xingjun," has been deployed for operations on the urban roads of Wujiang District in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province since October 2023, the company recently announced.

Pony.ai, Toyota unveil inaugural cooperative electric Robotaxi concept car at 2023 CIIE

Chinese autonomous driving solution developer, Pony.ai, in partnership with Toyota, revealed their inaugural co-developed electric Robotaxi concept car at the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) on November 5.

SENIOR granted commercial vehicle autonomous driving road test license in Tianjin

Tianjin's high-level autonomous driving demonstration area recently issued a new batch of road-testing licenses for intelligent connected vehicles, which granted autonomous driving solution developer SENIOR the approval for public road testing in the Tianjin region.

TuSimple completes inaugural L4 autonomous truck testing on Tokyo-Nagoya expressway

On October 27, 2023, autonomous driving technology company TuSimple announced the successful completion of the company’s first-ever L4 autonomous truck testing on the "Tokyo-Nagoya" expressway in Japan.

Beijing grants first autonomous driving road test license to large-size public bus

In a significant leap forward for autonomous driving in public transportation, Beijing Public Transport Corporation, along with Yizhuang’s operating company, Foton AUV, and QCraft, secured an intelligent connected vehicle road test permit from the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD).

DiDi Autonomous Driving secures investment from GAC Group

DiDi Autonomous Driving, the autonomous driving technology arm of Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi, on October 12 announced a significant investment from GAC Group.

DiDi's KargoBot L4 autonomous trucks granted road testing approval in Beijing

Recently, DiDi's autonomous freight solution, KargoBot, received a notice for road testing of its factory-assembled L4 autonomous trucks in the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area.

Pony.ai permitted for unmanned Robotaxi service in Shenzhen

Pony.ai, the Chinese autonomous driving solution provider, obtained Shenzhen's first-ever demonstration application license for unmanned autonomous driving services.

Pony.ai approved for autonomous heavy-duty truck demonstration application in Beijing

Chinese autonomous driving solution provider Pony.ai recently obtained the autonomous heavy truck demonstration application notice from the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD), paving the way for autonomous trucking in real-world scenarios, in collaboration with Sinotrans.

Baidu Apollo Go approved for trial operation of unmanned commercial Robotaxi service in Beijing

Baidu's Robotaxi service, known as Apollo Go, recently received the green light to conduct paid unmanned Robotaxi trial service to the public in Beijing.

General Motors greenlighted for autonomous driving road test in Shanghai, China

General Motors China (GM China) revealed today that it has recently obtained the intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) road testing qualification permit in Shanghai, which allows the company to conduct Level 4 autonomous road testing within the designated demonstration areas.

UTOPILOT, TuSimple, SAIC AI Lab, Pegasus granted first batch driverless road test licenses in Shanghai

On June 8, four Chinese autonomous driving companies, namely, UTOPILOT, TuSimple, SAIC AI Lab, and Pegasus, were awarded China's first batch of national autonomous driving test licenses for 15 vehicles in Shanghai’s Lin-Gang Special Area.

DiDi Autonomous Driving, Valeo team up on building L4 Robotaxi safety solution

DiDi Autonomous Driving, the autonomous driving technology arm of Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi, signed a strategic cooperation and investment agreement with the French auto parts supplier Valeo on May 29.

AutoX receives fully autonomous RoboTaxi pilot commercial operation permit in Shenzhen

Shenzhen has recently granted the first batch of commercial pilot operation qualifications for intelligent connected vehicles without human intervention to AutoX, a Chinese autonomous driving solution provider.

DiDi Autonomous Driving, GAC AION to launch first L4 unmanned NEV in 2025

DiDi Autonomous Driving, the autonomous driving technology arm of Chinese online ride-hailing giant DiDi, and GAC AION, the new energy vehicle-dedicated unit of GAC Group, recently signed an agreement to deepen cooperation and announced the launch of the "AIDI Plan," a project to develop and mass-produce autonomous new energy vehicles, and the plan to build a joint venture.

Plus, IVECO to start open road test for autonomous trucks in Germany

On February 2, autonomous driving solution provider Plus announced with the commercial vehicle brand IVECO that their jointly developed highly automated truck will start open road test in Germany this month.