Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) help with tasks ranging from cruise control to parking and collision avoidance, with the ultimate aim being a fully self-driving car.
Automakers are pouring investment into their development, especially in the world’s biggest car market China, which skews young and tech-savvy.
“Ten years ago, only 15 percent of customers said they would change car because of an intelligent cockpit — today it’s 54 percent,” Giovanni Lanfranchi of EV firm Zeekr said.
Almost 60 percent of cars sold in China last year had level-two ADAS features — where the driver is still in control but there is continuous assistance — or above, according to an AlixPartners report released last week.
The features “are emerging as a key competitive tool”, said the consultancy’s Yvette Zhang.
Some firms use their own proprietary technology, like start-up Xpeng and consumer electronics-turned-car company Xiaomi, while others are cooperating with tech giants such as Huawei.
Such software is being developed in Europe and North America too.
But in a survey of hundreds of global auto executives surveyed by AlixPartners, two-thirds said they believed China led the world in the field.
“The collection and processing of data, and the availability of software and machine-learning talent” is difficult to replicate, the report said.
The technology is not immune from the price wars that are a key feature of the Chinese market.
In February, domestic EV giant BYD announced it would release its “God’s Eye” driving system on nearly all its cars, including on some models priced below $10,000.
Then came a fatal accident in March involving a Xiaomi SU7 that had been in assisted driving mode just before it crashed.
The accident, in which three college students died, raised concerns over safety and the advertising of cars as being capable of “autonomous driving”.
The issue is an industry-wide one — Tesla’s US-released “Full Self-Driving” capability, for example, is still meant to be used under driver supervision.
“The price war has just been so brutal, companies are desperate to find any way to set themselves apart,” said Tom Nunlist, associate director for tech and data policy at Trivium China.
“So the question is have they been over-promising on features and releasing things as quickly as possible, for the purposes of fighting this commercial battle.”
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology seems to share those concerns.
After the crash, it held a meeting with leading automakers and other key players in which it made clear that safety rules would be more tightly enforced.
It warned automakers to test systems rigorously, “define system functional boundaries… and refrain from exaggerated or false advertising”.
