China has announced that it prohibits automotive companies from using the terms “smart driving” and “autonomous driving” in advertisements for driver assistance systems.
According to the “Reuters,” the decision by the Beijing government was communicated during a meeting of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology with around 60 companies from the automotive sector on Wednesday.
The announced measure comes after a fatal accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 100% electric vehicle, which raised widespread concerns about the vehicle’s safety.
Preliminary investigations into the accident revealed that the SU7 caught fire after colliding with a concrete pole at the roadside at a speed of 97 km/h, seconds after the driver had taken control of the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS).
The Ministry of Industry and Technology of China confirmed the meeting, making it clear that from now on, companies are not allowed to test and improve their ADAS systems through remote software updates for vehicles already delivered to customers without approval.
