Volvo Cars to launch advanced autonomous driving experiment in China

Volvo Cars plans to launch an advanced autonomous driving experiment in China, where local drivers would test autonomous driving cars on public roads in everyday driving conditions.

Volvo expects the experiment to involve up to 100 cars. The company, would in coming months start negotiating with interested cities in China to see which was able to provide the necessary permissions, regulations, and infrastructure to let the experiment go ahead.

According to the Swedish automaker, the introduction of autonomous driving technology promised to cut car accidents as also to free up congested roads, reduce pollution and allow drivers to use their time in their cars more valuably.

Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo had scheduled a seminar in Beijing today entitled 'Autonomous driving – could China take the lead?' Samuelsson would welcome the positive steps China had taken to put in place to develop autonomous driving technologies, but would also encourage it to do more to try and accelerate the implementation of the regulations that would oversee autonomous driving cars in future.

''There are multiple benefits to AD cars. That is why governments need to put in place the legislation to allow AD cars onto the streets as soon as possible. The car industry cannot do it all by itself. We need governmental help,'' he added.

Samuelsson told Reuters that the company was targeting 10 per cent year-on-year sales growth this year for the market in China.

Company executives told Reuters that the planned autonomous drive experiment would see local drivers test the cars on public roads in everyday conditions. The experiment would be conducted in limited driving situations such as on express roads and highways.

"I think we need to build up (consumer) trust in the technology," Samuelsson said, Reuters reported. "So you have to bring it out and demonstrate it."