VW China and XPeng approved to test L3 and L4 self-driving systems on Chinese public roads
10/26/2026 — 10/26, 19:17·3 sources (all)·3 reports (all)·In the 2026-10-26 briefing
Key takeaways
- Volkswagen China said it has received an L3 autonomous driving road-test permit in Hefei and begun real-world testing and data collection. A…
Background & analysis
On October 26, 2026 at 15:46, 36Kr reported that Volkswagen Group (China) had formally obtained an L3-level autonomous driving road-testing permit in Hefei and had already begun real-road testing and data collection for its L3-level technology. Later that day, at 16:50, Bloomberg Technology reported that Volkswagen AG and Xpeng Inc. had secured approvals from Chinese authorities to trial autonomous driving systems on public roads in the country.
The two reports differ on who received the approval. The 36Kr piece names Volkswagen Group (China) alone as the holder of the L3 road-testing permit, while Bloomberg Technology frames the approval as granted to both Volkswagen AG and Xpeng Inc. for autonomous driving system trials, and describes it as a renewal of the government's push toward larger-scale deployment following a safety review of the technology.
No further developments appear in these reports. As of now, the matter stands at the point where the relevant parties have obtained approval and are permitted to carry out autonomous driving system testing on public roads in China.
AI-generated from 2 reports · updated 1 hour ago
Latest turnAccording to Bloomberg, Volkswagen's China unit and Xpeng Inc. have secured approvals to trial autonomous driving systems on public roads in China. Volkswagen is currently testing Level 3 systems, while Xpeng is testing Level 4 capabilities.
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Reports on this story headlines open the original
According to Bloomberg, Volkswagen's China unit and Xpeng Inc. have secured approvals to trial autonomous driving systems on public roads in China. Volkswagen is currently testing Level 3 systems, while Xpeng is testing Level 4 capabilities.
TechmemeAI score 68According to Bloomberg Technology, Volkswagen AG and Xpeng Inc. have secured regulatory approval to test autonomous driving systems on public roads in China. This move signals a renewed push by authorities toward larger-scale deployment following safety reviews of the technology.
Bloomberg TechnologyAI score 54Volkswagen China said the Volkswagen Group (China) has officially obtained an L3 autonomous driving road-test license in Hefei and has begun real-world testing and data collection for L3 technology there.
36氪AI score 54
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