China to boost auto industry with focus on self-driving cars
China wants one in two vehicles on its roads to be equipped with computer-assisted driving features such as emergency braking and collision avoidance by the end of the decade, in an attempt to upgrade its auto industry and keep pace with international competition.
As part of its timeline, China will aim for 10 per cent to 20 per cent of vehicles to be highly autonomous by 2025, and for 10 per cent of cars to be fully self-driving in 2030, according to a transcript of comments made by Ouyang Minggao, leader of a group of experts commissioned by the auto industry regulator to draw up the targets, at a forum in Shanghai recently.
Government targets play an important role in China because the auto industry is dominated by state-owned companies, which hew to state initiatives such as developing new-energy vehicles. A state-defined timeline also provides a guide for suppliers such as radar manufacturers, camera makers and software developers on the expected future demand for their products.
The targets on autonomous driving were part of a broader auto in- dustry road map released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that also looked at promoting new-energy vehicles, connectivity, fuel economy and the use of lightweight materials.
“We hope the road map can help China to achieve a worldwide leadership in automated and connected vehicles in 10 to 15 years,” said Dai Yifan, a director at Tsinghua University’s Suzhou Automotive Research Institute, who was involved in the crafting of the road map.
At the forum, organized by the state-backed Society of Automo- tive Engineers, MIIT official Qu Guochun said the ministry was looking at extending the tax cut on small-engine vehicles, implemented when demand waned and the auto association lobbied for state support, arguing that the industry is a linchpin of the world’s secondbiggest economy. The ministry “is working with related agencies to improve policies involving incentives for energy-saving and newenergy vehicles,” said Qu.