L3 Becomes the Critical Transition Phase for Autonomous Driving

[Technology Evolution] Level 3 (L3) conditional automation has been confirmed as an essential stage on the path toward advanced autonomous driving.

Key Trend: L3 Serves as the Crucial Stepping Stone to L4/L5

At the 2026 High-Level Forum on Intelligent and Electric Vehicle Development, industry consensus held that the upcoming '15th Five-Year Plan' period will be critical for the commercial deployment of L3/L4 autonomous driving in China. Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Su Bo noted that vehicle intelligence and connectivity have entered a new phase. Expert Fang Haifeng from China Automotive Technology & Research Center predicted that L3 systems will achieve limited-scale mass production on expressways by 2028 and reach large-scale commercialization by 2030.

Strategic Foundation: Transitioning from L2 Proliferation to Advanced Automation

The industry is currently accelerating its shift from Level 2 (L2) driver assistance systems toward L3 and beyond. Automakers and supply chain companies are intensively investing to position conditional automation as the central hub for both technological advancement and commercial implementation.