The PSA Group has received a licence to start autonomous driving tests on open roads in China (Chongqing). With this, it becomes the first French carmaker to do so in China and plans to leverage its expertise in the development of vehicle connectivity and autonomous driving technology to the Chinese market.

PSA’s autonomous car experience in Europe helps it to adapt to the local environment to meet Chinese market needs. The challenge is to integrate its technology into the Chinese ecosystem with special cases since the environment, infrastructure, map system and road users are different.

PSA is the first car manufacturer to have tested the autonomous car on open roads in France from July 2015onwards, as well as the first carmaker to obtain the authorisations to carry out autonomous mode tests with “non-expert” drivers in March 2017.

Carla Gohin, vice-president, Innovation of Groupe PSA, said: “Obtaining the license for autonomous driving tests on open roads in China is a remarkable milestone for Groupe PSA, as China is the largest automobile market in the world and is witnessing the boom in the development of autonomous driving technology. This marks an important step for our AVA ‘Autonomous for All’ program, which aims to provide safe and intuitive autonomous cars for all customers. From this fresh start, we’ll continuously bring our cutting-edge technology to Chinese customers.”