Road-test ban may set back self-driving car

Automakers call for regulations that will allow real-world tests to take place in near future

Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, the Chinese automaker that completed a 1,931-kilometer trek with a self-driving car earlier this year, has postponed public road tests in response to a regulatory ban it said could impede efforts to develop autonomous vehicles.

The joint venture partner with Ford Motor Co will try to simulate real-world traffic conditions in private testing yards and has suspended all road tests on public streets, said Liang Fenghua, the head of Changan's intelligent vehicle division.