BEIJING — Volkswagen AG talked about on Wednesday it ought to begin testing autonomous automobiles in China’s japanese metropolis of Hefei, its first in the world’s largest automobile market.
China has flip relevant applicable appropriate correct proper right into a scorching spot for trying out autonomous driving automobiles. Toyota-backed Pony.ai, Baidu Inc, Nissan-backed WeRide and Didi Chuxing are all testing autonomous autos in completely fully fully totally fully fully totally different cities as automakers and tech companies are investing billions in the know-how.
Volkswagen, an very important overseas automaker in China, will begin the test in Hefei with Audi’s E-Tron electrical sport utility automobiles from September, it talked about in a press launch. The test may be open to most individuals from subsequent 12 months.
In May, Volkswagen talked about it is going to make investments 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) to take a 50% stake in the state-owned guardian of Chinese digital automobile group JAC. Volkswagen will even take full administration administration of its current electrical automobile three technique partnership with JAC in Hefei by elevating its stake to 75% from 50%.
Volkswagen furthermore has ventures with state-owned China FAW Group Corp Ltd and SAIC Motor Corp Ltd.
The German automobile firm outfitted 1.59 million automobiles in China in the primary six months of 2020, down 17% from 1.92 million automobiles in the an an equivalent interval remaining 12 months. For all of 2019, Volkswagen outfitted spherical 4.23 million automobiles in the nation.
In June Volkswagen closed its $2.6 billion funding in Pittsburgh-based self-driving startup Argo AI, in which Ford Motor Co furthermore has a stake.
(Reporting by Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh; enhancing by David Evans and Jane Merriman)
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