Chinese driverless cars begin long-distance road test

The departure ceremony of a 2,000-kilometer road test of Changan's driverless car is held in Chongqing, southwest China, April 12, 2016. The driverless car will run across a number of cities before reaching its destination in Beijing. It features adaptive cruise at full speed, traffic jam assist, traffic information identification, automatically change lanes and so on. [Photo/Xinhua]

CHONGQING - Two driverless cars produced by Changan Automobile in China started a 2,000-km test drive from Chongqing to Beijing on Tuesday.

Li Yusheng, engineer-in-chief of Changan Automobile Engineering & Research Institute, said the drive will help test their functions in diverse conditions.

"The vehicles have performed well in uncomplicated road conditions, such as urban driveways and highways, but they still need the help of a driver to navigate them in places like gas stations and toll booths," said Li.

"We want to improve the vehicles' sensors and processing technology, and then to prepare models for mass production," said Tan Benhong, deputy director of the institute.

Changan is aiming to put driverless cars into commercial use in 2018.

Worldwide, at least 18 companies are developing autonomous cars, including BMW, Audi and Toyota. China's contenders include auto makers BAIC group, GAC Group, SAIC Motor, Changan and BYD.