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Mercedes-Benz is the first non-Asian car manufacturer to test their L4 vehicles on selected urban areas and motorways in Beijing.

It’s worth noting that is not the first activity of the company on Chinese market. Mercedes, in 2023, was approved for automated vehicles level 3 testing on  the same area.

New permission allows two specially retrofitted vehicles – Mercedes S-class – to move in Beijing High-Level Automated Driving Demonstration Zone. They will perform dynamic driving tasks, including unprotected left turns, running roundabouts, lane changes and parking. In case of an emergency, the vehicles are required to perform minimal risk manoeuvre – finding a safe place and stop. Additionally, the vehicles will be prepared for automated tolling.

The project will specifically investigate the fusion of different types of sensors (LiDAR, radar, camera) and the performance of the L4 system under different conditions, with the aim of testing the behavior of vehicles in real-world scenarios. The zone where the vehicles will operate covers an area of approximately 160 km2 and includes 6 highway sections with a total length of approximately 143 km.

The Beijing High-Level Automated Driving Demonstration Zone is already testing L4-level unmanned delivery vehicles, shuttle buses, street sweepers, police cars and more than 800 other autonomous vehicles for various tasks. The zone was officially established in September 2020 to focus on five major transportation components (“vehicle-road-cloud-network-map”) and to promote the implementation of L4+ autonomous driving. Currently, more than 20 autonomous mobility and vehicle manufacturing companies are conducting tests in the zone, including Baidu, Pony, BAIC, Didi, WeRide, Auto-X, Neolix, JD, Meituan Qingtian Truck, Trunk, QCraft, SenseTime and Foton.

With the permit, Mercedes joins competitors such as GM, which has been testing autonomous Cadillac vehicles in Shanghai since last year, and soon Tesla, which for years has been promising to introduce full autonomy to its vehicles in China. Competition in the Chinese market is fierce, and it is possible that Mercedes wants to use its Level 4 Drive Pilot as an incentive for Chinese consumers who have been attracted by younger brands focused on electric vehicles offering autonomous Level 2 and Level 3 technology. This group includes XPeng Motors, whose XPilot technology, supported by high-resolution map navigation, is currently one of the leaders in the automated electric car market. Earlier this year, the company said it plans to introduce Level 4 autonomous driving in China by 2025. Mercedes-Benz is gaining ground as competition in the eastern market continues to grow.

Source:

1. Mercedes-Benz becomes first international car maker to obtain approval for Level 4 automated driving testing on urban roads and highways in Beijing for privately-owned vehicles | Automotive World
2. UNECE, 18th GRVA, 22-26.01.2024, Beijing’s Initiatives on Autonomous Driving industry in the Era of Interconnection of Everything, Beijing High-level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone Work Office
3. Xpeng delivers 10,668 cars in June 2024, up 5.14% from May – CnEVPost