China carmakers jostle for an edge in autonomous driving

AS CHINESE cities pave the way for more self-driving cars to whiz around their streets, the country’s carmakers are jockeying for position in what they predict will soon be a huge market.

Earlier this month, Shenzhen published a new set of rules which will allow autonomous commercial driving services to be offered in the tech hub from next month. That includes fully autonomous cars, if such technology ever comes to fruition and meets safety requirements.

“(The regulation) will be a milestone in the history of autonomous driving in China,” He Xiaopeng, founder of electric vehicle (EV) startup Xiaopeng, said in a social media post. Carmakers and analysts expect more cities to follow suit — several have already allowed extensive testing.