IM first Chinese brand capable of producing L2 to L4 vehicles

IM Motors said on Monday that it has become the first carmaker in China capable of mass-producing vehicles that boasts Level 2, 3 and 4 autonomy.

The carmaker, a joint venture established by SAIC Motor, Alibaba and Zhangjiang High-tech, made the announcement when it rolled out the IM AD 3.0, a Level 2 plus system.

The 3.0 version is one of the latest results of its cooperation with Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta to build smart driving capabilities for its vehicles.

Compared with its previous editions, the 3.0 version can make "instinct-based" decisions because it has been trained to work in a way that like human brains.

According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, there are six levels of autonomy from Level 0 to Level 5.

Level 2 autonomy means a vehicle has an advanced driver assistance system. Level 3 vehicles have "environmental detection" capabilities and can make informed decisions for themselves, such as accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle. But the driver must remain alert and ready to take control if the system is unable to execute the task.

Level 4 autonomy, also known as high driving automation, is a stage of autonomous driving where a vehicle can drive itself in most situations, without the need for a human driver to be actively engaged.

In June, IM Motors was included into China's entry list for L3 vehicles and road tests. The carmaker said it will be ready for mass-producing Level 3 vehicles in 2026.

It also expects to win the permit from local Chinese authorities to test driverless Level 4 vehicles later this year.

Working in partnership with Momenta, IM Motors has been developing autonomy of different levels on the same platform.

That increases the efficiency of development, because data obtained from Level 2 vehicles can be used in Level 3 and 4 autonomy as well, and functions at higher level of autonomy can be applied to Level 2 scenarios.