China Auto Daily丨IM Motors: Preparing for L3 Autonomous Driving by 2026

Shenzhen Establishes Intelligent Connected Transportation Association

The Shenzhen Intelligent Connected Transportation Association has been officially established. As disclosed, some areas in Shenzhen are now open for "unmanned" commercial trials of intelligent connected passenger vehicles. The city is rapidly advancing vehicle-road collaboration across all administrative districts, with nearly 1,000 kilometers of roads open for intelligent connected vehicle testing, including 67 kilometers of highway.

IM Motors: Preparing for L3 Autonomous Driving by 2026

IM Motors has emerged as an industry pioneer by claiming to be the "first brand with mass production capabilities for L2, L3, and L4 intelligent driving." The company has recently enabled L2+ level advanced driving assistance across all models nationwide, offering a “Map-Free City NOA” feature. Additionally, IM Motors has commenced L2+ road testing in Europe. The company expects to achieve mass production conditions for L3 autonomous driving solutions by 2026.  

QCRAFT Secures Billions in C+ Round Funding

On October 28, autonomous driving startup QCRAFT announced the completion of C+ round financing worth billions of CNY, led by the Zhulu Juhang Fund (逐鹿巨航基金 in Chinese). The new funds will be directed towards enhancing full-stack autonomous driving technology research and development, advancing the large-scale mass production of mid-to-high-level NOA solutions, and facilitating the progressive evolution from L2++ to L4 autonomous driving technologies.

Smart #5: Launch with Advanced AI Technology

The Smart #5 SUV has officially launched, offering four models priced between ¥239,900 and ¥368,000, with limited availability starting at ¥229,900. Notably, the Smart #5 is the world's first SUV to feature the desktop-level AMD V2000 chip, boasting computing power nearly double that of the Snapdragon 8295 chip. Built on a "Map-Free + End-to-End" technology architecture, the NSP intelligent navigation assistance can operate in various traffic scenarios, including highways, urban roads, and ramps. The vehicle exhibits an impressive intersection pass rate of over 95%, an overall lane change success rate of over 93%, and a ramp merge success rate exceeding 95%.