In 2023, China’s autonomous driving sector advanced from scattered pilot projects to coordinated national programs, driven by both regulatory momentum and rapid technological deployment. On November 17, four key ministries—the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Transport—jointly issued a notice authorizing on-road pilot trials for intelligent connected vehicles equipped with Level 3 (L3) and Level 4 (L4) capabilities. Vehicles meeting mass production standards could operate within designated zones after securing admission permits. The directive explicitly assigned accident liability to the operating entity, a move that clarified legal responsibility and signaled readiness for scaled deployment.
Following this policy shift, more than 30 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, began issuing L3 road test licenses to major automakers. Recipients ranged from domestic leaders such as GAC Group, BYD, SERES, Changan Auto, IM Motors, and ARCFOX to global brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz. These permits targeted highway and expressway scenarios, reflecting the industry’s focus on controlled, high-speed environments as proving grounds.
Among notable milestones, SERES, partnered with Huawei, secured L3 licenses in Chongqing and Shenzhen in late December. FAW’s AI arm achieved L4 unmanned test approval for its third-generation Hongqi Robotaxi in Beijing’s High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area. BYD, via its July 21 permit in Shenzhen, became the first Chinese automaker to hold a conditional L3 license. Changan’s NEV brand DEEPAL obtained highway testing rights in Chongqing, while BAIC’s ARCFOX earned similar privileges in Beijing. IM Motors and BMW both gained expressway test licenses in Shanghai, expanding the roster of urban centers hosting advanced trials.
Foreign OEMs also moved forward. Mercedes-Benz received Beijing’s L3 highway conditional testing license on December 16, emphasizing safety in its rollout. General Motors China secured L4 road testing qualifications in Shanghai’s demonstration zones.
Beyond passenger cars, autonomous public transport and service vehicles entered real-world operation. WeRide launched its Robobus in Qingdao on December 14 after a month of stability testing, serving passengers between Jiaodong International Airport and nearby facilities. Dongfeng Sharing deployed ten self-driving buses in Shiyan, Hubei Province, under a local demonstration project. Beijing issued its first autonomous driving road test license for a large public bus, operated by Beijing Public Transport Corporation with Foton AUV and QCraft.
Specialized applications emerged as well. KUSA Tech’s “Xingjun” autonomous street cleaning fleet began operating in Suzhou’s Wujiang District in October. In freight, DiDi’s KargoBot L4 trucks gained road testing approval in Beijing, while Pony.ai received permission for autonomous heavy-duty truck demonstrations in partnership with Sinotrans. TuSimple completed its first L4 autonomous truck test on Japan’s Tokyo–Nagoya expressway, underscoring cross-border development.
Robotaxi services advanced toward commercialization. Pony.ai obtained Shenzhen’s inaugural unmanned service license and showcased an electric Robotaxi concept co-developed with Toyota at the China International Import Expo. Baidu’s Apollo Go received approval for paid unmanned trials in Beijing. AutoX secured Shenzhen’s first fully autonomous RoboTaxi commercial pilot permit.
Collaboration and investment shaped the year’s landscape. DiDi Autonomous Driving announced funding from GAC Group and partnered with Valeo to develop L4 Robotaxi safety solutions. The company also signed with GAC AION to launch the “AIDI Plan,” aiming for mass production of autonomous new energy vehicles by 2025. In June, UTOPILOT, TuSimple, SAIC AI Lab, and Pegasus were awarded China’s first batch of national driverless road test licenses in Shanghai’s Lin-Gang Special Area.
Commercial vehicle automation extended into Europe, with Plus and IVECO preparing open-road trials for highly automated trucks in Germany. These developments, coupled with China’s regulatory clarity and city-level licensing, positioned 2023 as a year of transition from experimental deployments to structured, multi-sector integration of autonomous driving technologies.