China’s L3 autonomous driving pilot gets off to a strong start, targeting full-scenario autonomy by 2030

By Liu Xinyu

(ECNS)– Since receiving approval to operate on public roads on Dec. 20, Changan Shenlan vehicles equipped with Level-3 autonomous driving systems have performed well in pilot operations, achieving zero major operational risks, zero accidents with equal or greater liability, and zero traffic violations, a company executive said Wednesday.

Liang Fenghua, deputy general manager of artificial intelligence fundamentals and applications at Changan Technology Co., Ltd said that based on the current progress, the company will gradually expand pilot operations to roads nationwide, with the goal of realizing full-scenario autonomous driving by 2030.

Since December, China’s autonomous driving sector has shown a series of positive developments. Earlier on Dec. 15, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced the first batch of Level-3 autonomous driving vehicle access permits, with two models, Changan Automobile and BAIC Motor’s Arcfox, approved for road pilot in designated areas of Chongqing and Beijing respectively.

On Dec. 20, the traffic management department of the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau issued China’s first license plate “Yu AD0001Z” for Level-3 autonomous driving to China Changan Auto Group.

On Dec. 23, the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Traffic Management Bureau issued the capital’s first batch of Level-3 highway autonomous driving plates to three BAIC Motor’s Arcfox intelligent connected vehicles.

On Dec. 26, 46 Changan Shenlan vehicles equipped with the Level-3 autonomous driving system, operated by Changan Connected Car Technology Co., Ltd., began large-scale pilot operations on Chongqing roads.

According to the MIIT website, the approved Changan model can drive autonomously in a single lane on highways and urban expressways under traffic-jam conditions, with a top speed of 50 km/h. The function is currently limited to specific sections in Chongqing, including the Inner Ring Expressway, the new Inner Ring Expressway (between Gaotanyan Interchange and Laijiaqiao Interchange), and Yudu Avenue (between Renhe Interchange and Airport Interchange).

Changan Shenlan vehicles equipped with Level-3 autonomous driving system have performed well. (Photo provided to ECNS by China Changan Group)

The launch of Level-3 marks a critical step from “assisted driving” to “autonomous driving.” On Dec. 29, Changan announced two”iron rules”about its Level-3 system: the driver must remain ready to take control at any time, and must respond within 10 seconds when the system prompts for a takeover. If the driver is distracted, the vehicle will issue warnings via audio alerts and gentle seat belt tugs; if the driver still does not respond, the car will automatically execute a minimal risk strategy, such as slowing down gradually and pulling over smoothly.

Liang explained that beyond the technical advance, Level-3 also reshapes the chain of driving responsibility. In Level-3 scenarios, liability for a collision may extend from the driver to other parties, including the OEM or system suppliers.

Liang said that the approved Level-3 functions will first be deployed in specific scenarios such as airport terminals transfers and campus commutes to gather experience for large-scale commercialization before being available for general purchase. Consumers eager to try Level-3 could use the “Changan Smart Travel” Wechat Mini Program to book a ride and may have the chance to get matched with a vehicle.

Changan Automobile Global Research and Development Center in Chongqing.(Photo provided to ECNS by China Changan Group)

Deng Chenghao, vice president of Changan Automobile, said that through an innovative city-enterprise collaboration model, Chongqing municipal city and the company have established a highly efficient coordination mechanism, working together on policy innovation, road access, safety assurance and supervision, providing comprehensive policy support for Changan’s Level-3.

Moreover, Chongqing, known as a “magical 8D city” for its multi-dimensional transport network and complex road conditions, has served as an extremely rigorous “testing ground.” Previously, Changan’s Level-3 system underwent more than 5 million kilometers of real road testing in Chongqing, covering 191 categories of scenario elements, exceeding 10 times the national standard, with extreme scenarios accounting for 36% and scenario elements exceeding the national standard by 49%.

“We believe that the car in the future will be the ‘evolvable intelligent automotive robot,'” said Deng. He noted that the Level-3 breakthrough stems from decades of Changan’s persistent R&D investment. Changan has built a global “six countries and ten loations” research network, including China locations such as Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Dingzhou in Hebei Province, Hefei in Anhui Province, and overseas locations such as Turin in Italy, Yokohama in Japan, Birmingham in the UK, Detroit in the U.S., and Munich in Germany, with a R&D team of 24,000 people across 31 countries and regions and more than 200 laboratories. Annual R&D investment accounts for no less than 5% of Changan’s operating revenue. Over the past decade, it has invested over 40 billion yuan （about $5.71 billion） in new-energy technologies, over 60 billion yuan in intelligent systems, and over 10 billion yuan in forward-looking technologies.

The company is also accelerating its global market expansion. It now operates over 14,000 global distribution channels and 103 global markets. After setting up five overseas regional divisions in 2023 including one in Southeast Asia, Changan established companies in the Netherlands, Germany and other places in 2024. The group plans 20 overseas entire vehicle and KD factories, nine of which are already operational. Changan’s first overseas new-energy vehicle production base, the Rayong factory in Thailand, started production in 2025, with an initial annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles.