CHINA has granted its first-ever commercial permits for Level 3 conditional autonomous driving, allowing two electric sedans to operate on designated open roads in Beijing and Chongqing.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced Monday that Changan Automobile’s Deepal SL03 and BAIC BluePark’s Arcfox Alpha S are authorized to use L3 self-driving functions on highways and urban expressways — without changing lanes.

Under the approved conditions, the Deepal SL03 may engage L3 driving at speeds up to 50 km/h on congested city roads, while the Arcfox Alpha S is permitted up to 80 km/h on expressways. Both models have passed product verification and safety assessments as required by MIIT.

The Deepal SL03 uses Changan’s in-house Tianshu Intelligent advanced driver-assistance system, whereas the Arcfox Alpha S is equipped with Huawei’s ADS smart driving system.

A BAIC BluePark representative highlighted the significance of the move: “Previously, there were no mass-produced L3 vehicles legally allowed on public roads. Earlier ‘L3 licenses’ were only for trial use on specific routes. This permit marks the shift from ‘approved for testing’ to ‘approved for operation.’”

The Arcfox Alpha S is slated to begin pilot operations on several expressways to the Beijing Daxing International Airport in the first quarter of next year.

A Changan Auto source stated that initially, the L3 function will be limited to government-approved highways and expressways to ensure safety. As policies ease, eligible roads and regions will expand via over-the-air updates.

According to Fu Bingfeng, executive vice president of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China’s autonomous driving sector is accelerating from “technical verification” to “mass production and application.”

He noted that MIIT’s application channel for self-driving vehicles will remain open, with permits issued on a rolling basis as candidates mature.

Fu outlined three priorities for automakers: uphold safety benchmarks, strengthen data governance and cybersecurity, and develop sustainable business models to pave the way for broader adoption.

(SD-Agencies)