China Lines Up Second Wave of Level 3 Approvals, But Keeps Names Quiet

China isn’t done handing out conditional green lights for Level 3 autonomy. Fresh from clearing its first two production models late last year, Beijing’s industrial regulator now says a second batch of pilot approvals is in the works — though it is staying tight-lipped about who is in line or when a decision lands.

Guo Shougang, who heads the equipment industry department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), confirmed the progress at the 2026 World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference. His remarks were carried by Cailian.

The first two, and their limits

The December 2025 permits went to Changan Automobile and Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC Group) — both battery-electric sedans, both with narrow operational boundaries attached.

• Changan Deepal SL03: single-lane autonomous driving up to 50 km/h in congested traffic, limited to designated highways and urban expressways in Chongqing.
• BAIC Arcfox Alpha S: single-lane autonomous driving up to 80 km/h on designated highways and urban expressways in Beijing.

Crucially, these are product approvals, not a national mandate. They let the cars take part in road-use pilots on set routes — a different instrument from the road-testing permits automakers had already collected.

What’s still unknown: the automakers and models in batch two, and the timeline for approval.

Guardrails before growth

Guo said the ministry will keep tightening monitoring and safety oversight for vehicles in operation, and will fold what it learns from the pilots back into the rules.

That groundwork is already visible. A mandatory national standard, Safety Requirements for Autonomous Driving Systems of Intelligent Connected Vehicles, was published in August and takes effect July 1, 2027. It covers Level 3 and Level 4 systems and demands safety performance at least on par with a competent, attentive human driver — with Level 3 additionally required to watch whether the driver can take back control.

Then there’s the signalling question. On October 20, MIIT opened a public consultation on exterior lighting rules that would let vehicles with Level 3 or higher systems carry optional turquoise ADS indicator lamps. They’d switch on with the function and switch off when it disengages. Target date: January 1, 2028, with final wording still open.

Why the silence matters

A second batch without names is easy to announce and hard to read. It signals momentum, certainly — but it also tells you the approval bottleneck is regulatory caution rather than a shortage of applicants.

For drivers, the practical takeaway is unchanged. Level 3 in China today means specific roads, specific speeds, specific cities. The nationwide handover of driving duty is still some distance off.