FILE PHOTO - The Volkswagen logo stands on the brand tower at the main Volkswagen plant. (is associated with: «Volkswagen steps up autonomous driving push in China with 2027 launch») Julian Stratenschulte/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.In Germany, Mercedes-Benz and BMW previously offered Level 3 functions in some of their flagship models, but both have since suspended those programmes.
