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.

With intense competition in China’s auto market, manufacturers are betting on autonomous driving to gain an edge over competitors and attract customers. Tesla Inc is working to bring the advanced driver assistance technology it calls Full Self Driving to China, gaining permission to test on some areas in Shanghai. General Motors Co received approval last year to trial self-driving Cadillacs in Shanghai.

Meanwhile technology companies such as Alphabet Inc’s Waymo and Baidu Inc’s Apollo Go are developing robotaxis as the future of mobility, testing the driverless service on the streets of cities including San Francisco and Wuhan.

Currently, Chinese regulation allows advanced driver assistance system at Level 2 automation, which means that a car can perform steering, acceleration and lane changes lanes, but a human needs to monitor the driving at all times and keep their hands on the steering wheel. – Bloomberg