Auto industry pulls out stops to tackle slumping sales

Self-driving permits issued

Authorities in Shanghai issued the country's first permits in September to conduct operational tests of smart and connected vehicles, marking the latest step in China's efforts to speed up commercialization of autonomous driving. The permit holders are each allowed to have a fleet of up to 50 vehicles to conduct operational tests in the city, exploring how to commercialize the latest technology.

Compared with the road test permits Shanghai started to hand out in 2018, the new permits increase the scenarios of autonomous driving tests and thus accelerate the transition from research, development and tests to application and demonstration. Shanghai opened up its first road section for testing smart and connected vehicles in March 2018, and so far the roads have a combined length of 53.6 km, covering 1,580 different scenarios.

The first companies to receive permits included Shanghai-based SAIC Motor Group, German carmaker BMW and China's car-hailing giant Didi Chuxing.