# autonomous driving
Latest news and articles about autonomous driving
Total: 25 articles found
Xpeng Begins OTA Rollout of VLA 2.0, Escalating China’s ADAS Arms Race
Xpeng has begun a staged over‑the‑air rollout of its second‑generation VLA advanced driver‑assistance system. The deployment highlights how Chinese EV makers are using fleet data and rapid software updates to compete on autonomous driving capabilities while raising questions about safety oversight and cybersecurity.
Jensen Huang Takes NVIDIA’s Driving Stack for a Spin: 22 Minutes of Hands‑Off City Driving in San Francisco
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang completed a 22‑minute, hands‑off ride in a Mercedes‑CLA running MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, a production L2 system built with NVIDIA’s DRIVE AV stack and Alpamayo 1. The demonstration showcases NVIDIA’s evolution from chipmaker to provider of integrated driving software, simulation and AI models, while highlighting the remaining limits of L2 systems and the challenge of scaling to diverse, long‑tail driving scenarios.
BMW Backs Away from Level‑3 Autonomy in China — A Tactical Retreat, Not a Surrender
BMW has postponed plans to introduce Level‑3 autonomous driving in China, citing unresolved technical, regulatory and reputational risks. The move highlights the gap between prototype capability and safe, scalable deployment, and reshapes competitive dynamics between cautious incumbents and aggressive local challengers.
WeRide’s CEO: L3 Won’t Steal L4’s Thunder — China’s Robotaxi Push Aims for Scale, Pure‑Driverless Ops and Cost Edge
WeRide’s CEO Han Xu argues that L3 autonomy will not undercut L4 Robotaxi commercialisation, and that China’s data depth plus domestic hardware cost control give L4 firms a competitive edge. The company has crossed the 1,000‑vehicle deployment threshold, achieved pure‑driverless operations in multiple cities, and is leaning on a high‑fidelity simulator (GENESIS) and healthy cash reserves to scale further and pursue profitability.
Guangdong Pushes for L3–L4 Autonomy and Nationwide ‘Safety Sandboxes’ to Fast‑Track Driverless Traffic
Guangdong’s 2026–2035 industrial plan prioritises advanced autonomous driving, targeting accelerated development of L3 and L4 systems and the construction of full‑scenario "safety sandboxes" for large‑scale unmanned traffic trials. The initiative combines technical R&D with regulatory experimentation to bridge the gap between prototypes and commercial deployments, while raising legal, security and public‑trust challenges.
China Industry Voice Urges Fast-Track Autonomous-vehicle Law to Open Roads to High‑Level Self‑Driving Cars
Zhang Xinghai, a CPPCC standing committee member and Seres chairman, urged the rapid passage of a dedicated autonomous‑vehicle law to clear the way for high‑level self‑driving cars in China. He argued a special legal and standards framework would remove barriers to scaling, improve safety foundations and accelerate domestic technological progress.
China auto executive urges policy parity for petrol and electric cars to kick‑start consumption
Liu Yiyan, a SAIC Volkswagen executive and NPC deputy, has proposed that China stop differentiating between conventional and new energy vehicles in future subsidy and policy design, and accelerate measures to boost auto consumption, finance, autonomous driving laws, and AI‑auto talent development. Her recommendations aim to unlock short‑term demand while urging clearer legal frameworks for automated vehicles and deeper ties between industry and education.
China Bets Big on Beidou: From Phone Maps to Driverless Cars and a Trillion‑Yuan Industry
China’s NDRC has announced a major push to expand Beidou satellite navigation into consumer and industrial applications, targeting more than 1 trillion yuan in industry scale within five years after estimating 620 billion yuan by 2025. The programme prioritises autonomous driving, the low‑altitude aerial economy and intelligent robotics as arenas where Beidou will provide high‑precision positioning, emergency communications and multi‑agent coordination.
Lei Jun Predicts 'True' Driverless Cars in Limited Zones Within Five Years — and Urges Rules to Catch Up
Xiaomi founder Lei Jun said genuinely driverless vehicles can be realised in some limited environments within five years, while urging China to tighten driving tests, punish misuse of L2 systems, and clarify safety rules for L3/L4 automation. His remarks reflect both industry optimism and the need for regulatory catch‑up as manufacturers prepare for constrained commercial deployments.
China’s EV Arms Race Shifts to Batteries and Lidar as BYD and Huawei Push the Next Leap
BYD will unveil a second‑generation blade battery and fast‑charging technology, while Huawei is deploying a new high‑resolution lidar across partner models. Together these moves signal a shift in China’s EV race toward component‑level advantages — batteries, sensors and chips — and a growing push to escalate regulatory support for higher levels of autonomy.
Huawei Fits Cars with 896‑Line ‘Image‑Level’ LiDAR — High‑End S800 and M9 First to Ship
Huawei unveiled an 896‑line, dual‑optical‑path, image‑level LiDAR at a March 4 Hongmeng event and said the sensor will first ship on the high‑end Zunjie S800 and AITO/Wenjie M9. The module promises four times the vertical resolution of typical 192‑line units and is being framed as part of a multi‑sensor perception stack rather than a standalone solution.
From Megvii's Ashes to a Geely-Backed Empire: Yin Qi's Bet on an AI+Car Closed Loop
Yin Qi has reconfigured his post‑Megvii career around a tightly integrated AI+automotive strategy, combining StepFun’s large models with Qianli/Geely’s hardware and distribution to create a commercial ‘‘closed loop.’’ Backed by state capital and big tech, StepFun has raised over RMB5 billion and aims for a near‑term listing, but its dependence on Geely creates strategic trade‑offs between fast deployment and independence.