Nation to formulate hi-tech car standards

Visitors examine an autonomous driving car at an auto show in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily]

China is planning to draw up standards on smart, internet-connected vehicles as well as autonomous driving, one of the nation's latest efforts to take the lead in the fast-evolving sector.

By 2020, the country is expected to formulate at least 30 sets of standards which will basically be capable of supporting driving assistance and low-level autonomous driving, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a document released on Tuesday.

The standards will cover aspects including function safety, information safety, human to machine interfaces, information recognition and interaction, and auxiliary controls.

More than 100 sets of standards will be formulated by 2025 so that they can support high-level autonomous driving.

China is working to build a globally competitive automotive industry, with smart cars as one of its priorities, according to an industry guideline released earlier this year.

Among other targets, 80 percent of new cars in China will feature some driving assistance and low-level autonomous driving functions by 2025.

Li Jun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said: "Countries worldwide are exploring smart, internet-connected cars' technical standards and business models, so if China makes them part of its national strategy in a timely way, its car industry will see unprecedented opportunities."

Li, also a deputy chief engineer of FAW Group, made the remarks on Monday when the China Industry Innovation Alliance for the Intelligent and Connected Vehicles was established in Beijing.

The alliance, composed of both the country's major automakers and technology giants, will serve as a think tank for the sector's development, and facilitate the application of technologies to production.

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, a member of the alliance, said it will focus on information communication technology and advocate intensive cooperation with automotive manufacturers.