Autonomous driving, with no hands on the steering wheel, is set to become a reality for VW customers in China from 2027, the company says. Johannes Neudecker/dpaVolkswagen plans to launch its first vehicles in China capable of Level 3 autonomous driving next year, as Europe's largest carmaker seeks to catch up in the fast-moving market for self-driving technology.Deliveries of the vehicles, which will allow drivers to hand over full control to the car under certain conditions, are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027, the German carmaker said on Wednesday.To support the rollout, Volkswagen is expanding its partnership with Chinese technology company Horizon Robotics. The move will give Carizon, the joint venture the two companies established in 2022, access to Horizon Robotics' artificial intelligence model, which Volkswagen said would accelerate the development of autonomous driving systems.AdvertisementAdvertisementLevel 3 autonomous driving allows motorists to take their hands off the wheel and temporarily stop monitoring traffic in clearly defined situations, such as on motorways, while the vehicle assumes full control.China is emerging as a leader in bringing such technology to mass-market vehicles, with several manufacturers already testing the systems on public roads. A number of Chinese cities also operate fully driverless robotaxi services.The German automotive giant's planned Level 3 launch in China underscores how the world's biggest car market is setting the pace for hands-off driving features, pushing foreign carmakers to rely on local tech partnerships to stay competitive.In Germany, Mercedes-Benz and BMW previously offered Level 3 functions in some of their flagship models, but both have since suspended those programmes.