Mercedes gets nod to test high-level self-driving in Beijing

A Baidu Inc driverless robotaxi (left) in Wuhan, China. Mercedes has been approved to start trials of its Level 4 self-driving capabilities on Beijing’s highways and urban roads. — Bloomberg

Mercedes-Benz AG said it’s become the first international auto brand permitted to test advanced autonomous driving in Beijing at a time when domestic and global carmakers are racing to perfect the technology.

The approval will let Mercedes start trials of its Level 4 self-driving capabilities on Beijing’s highways and urban roads – which means the vehicle can perform all driving tasks within certain conditions with human override still an option. Some of the moves to be tested include parking, reversing and turning left in busy traffic without driver intervention, according to a statement published Aug 2 to the company’s official Wechat account.