Mercedes is leading the pack

Daimler Benz has started production in Beijing of the most advanced autonomous vehicle yet designed.

On June 15, the automaker began making the Mercedes-Benz E-Class L that it unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in April. The first models will go on sale in the autumn.

The long-wheelbase car, which is being produced by Beijing Benz Automotive Co - the company's joint venture with Chinese car maker BAIC - is capable of automated lane-changing and steering.

It is being specifically made for the Chinese market, where consumers want the extra room in the back that a longer car can provide.

Simonette Illi, a spokeswoman for Daimler Benz, believes the car will meet a need in the Chinese market, which is seen as the most open to autonomous vehicles.

"Based on local driving habits, many Chinese would be more receptive to driverless cars than people in the rest of the world," she says.

"Take, for example, the widespread preference for spacious interiors with extended rear- seat arrangements in China. Given the choice, many Chinese customers would prefer to be chauffered on a daily basis and drive for fun when they want."

Daimler, which employs 20,000 in China, announced a 4 billion yuan ($607 million; 537 million euros) expansion of its Beijing engine plant during the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel this month. This was on top of its 32 billion yuan investment in the BBAC joint venture last year.

Illi says to make autonomous vehicles work in China, it is important to make them able to cope with the difficult driving conditions in the country.

The company is working with Tsinghua University in Beijing to analyze Chinese traffic and driving behavior.

"Chinese traffic is very different from that in Europe or the US. The analysis of traffic behavior is crucial to the adaptation of assistance systems and safe autonomous driving in China."

Daimler's German rival, BMW, has linked up with Chinese internet giant Baidu to produce autonomous cars for the Chinese market. It wants to launch a fully functional autonomous car to the market by 2021.

"Autonomous cars rely heavily on the high accuracy of mapping technology, and that is why we have been cooperating with partners here in China to produce the next generation of maps," said Ian Robertson, head of sales and marketing at BMW, in an interview with 21st Century Business Herald.

BBAC has been making Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in China since 2005 and engines since 2013. Last year, more than two-thirds of all Mercedes cars sold in China were made in the country.

andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 06/24/2016 page7)