The Volkswagen ID. Unyx 08, the first car Volkswagen developed with Xpeng.

Credit: Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen and Xpeng have won approval to run higher levels of self-driving on public roads in China. VW has started Level 3 road tests in Hefei. Xpeng can now run Level 4 robotaxi services across Guangzhou.

Both companies announced the approvals on Monday. Volkswagen Group China said on Weibo that it had received an L3 road-test licence in Hefei. It has begun testing and collecting data on real roads there. It is aiming for L3 technology readiness in 2027.

Ralf Brandstätter, who runs the group’s China business, added a comment under the post, in TNW’s translation from Chinese:

“We will never push technological progress at the expense of safety,” Brandstätter wrote.…