Shanghai accelerates L4 autonomous driving push with new pilot operation licenses issued

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Shanghai is stepping up its efforts to commercialize advanced autonomous driving technology, unveiling a major expansion of its pilot operations during the opening of the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2025) on July 26. As part of the event, city officials issued a new round of licenses for intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) pilot operation, marking a critical shift from testing to scaled operations.

The latest batch of licenses covers four vehicle models across two categories and was granted to eight companies and five industry consortia. Backed by millions of kilometers of prior test mileage and substantial real-world data, the newly licensed fleets demonstrate a strong foundation for engineering reliability and commercial readiness.

Industry experts say this development represents a key inflection point for Shanghai, signaling the city's move into the next phase of autonomous mobility. With L4 autonomous driving at the heart of these programs, the initiative positions China to make further inroads in the global race toward self-driving commercialization.

One standout participant in this new phase is SAIC Motor, which secured dual licenses through its subsidiaries: IM Motors for passenger cars (in partnership with SAIC Mobility) and UTOPILOT for commercial freight applications. SAIC Motor is now the only Chinese automaker with demonstration licenses spanning both passenger and commercial autonomous vehicles.

IM Motors' Robotaxi fleet has already completed more than 300,000 ride-hailing orders, logging millions of autonomous driving kilometers. The company is now launching a pilot L4 Robotaxi corridor between the Shanghai International Tourism and Resorts Zone and Pudong International Airport. Developed in partnership with SAIC Mobility and autonomous driving startup SAIC AI LAB, the route is poised to become China's first high-speed autonomous shuttle service directly linking a major tourist hub with an international airport.

On the commercial front, SAIC's UTOPILOT is preparing to deploy China's first legally approved unmanned heavy-duty trucks in regular operations. Focused on high-value logistics corridors such as ports, industrial parks, and long-haul trunk lines, the company has already surpassed 500,000 TEUs in autonomous container transport at the Yangshan Port, using its fully self-developed autonomous driving stack.

Another key player, Pony.ai, was also among the newly licensed. With the addition of Shanghai, Pony.ai now operates autonomous driving pilots in all four of China's Tier 1 cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—making it one of the most geographically extensive Robotaxi networks in the country. The company will work with Shanghai Jin Jiang Group's taxi unit to begin public trials in the Jinqiao and Huamu districts of Pudong. The city has also continued to expand its autonomous testing infrastructure, with more than 2,700 kilometers of roads now open to autonomous vehicle testing, including parts of the inner ring road.

WeRide, another major autonomous tech firm, has secured approval to launch a driverless Robotaxi service on public roads in Pudong. Working with Chery Auto and Jinjiang Taxi, WeRide's Shanghai deployment brings its global footprint to ten cities, spanning regions as diverse as Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Zurich, and multiple Chinese metropolitan areas.

Shanghai's progress is built on a strong industrial base. In 2024, the city's automotive sector posted a gross industrial output of 703.5 billion yuan, with 1.645 million new energy vehicle putting on roads—both figures placing it at the top among global cities. The ecosystem includes nine carmakers, over 600 suppliers, and a talent pool exceeding 150,000 professionals.

To further accelerate development, Shanghai plans to deploy 500 data-collecting ride-hailing vehicles this year, aiming to gather over 10 million driving clips. The data will feed into training and evaluation systems for large-scale autonomous driving models. The city also announced plans to establish a benchmark framework for end-to-end AI driving systems, paving the way for scalable deployment of intelligent driving solutions.

During the conference, authorities unveiled the "Model-Speed-Intelligent-Drive" initiative, which outlines Shanghai's roadmap for becoming a global leader in high-level autonomous driving by 2027. The plan targets over 6 million passenger rides by L4 autonomous vehicles, more than 800,000 TEUs in freight transport, and over 5,000 kilometers of open roads across a 2,000-square-kilometer area. It emphasizes multi-scenario deployment, cross-platform collaboration, and a supportive regulatory and technological ecosystem to cement Shanghai's leadership in smart mobility.