GM and Momenta Drive Forward with Autonomous Driving in China: L4 Testing Approved in Shanghai

General Motors (GM) and Chinese startup Momenta have joined forces to develop a self-driving solution tailored for the Chinese market.

The prominent US automotive company, General Motors, has been granted approval to conduct autonomous driving trials in Shanghai, marking a significant stride towards catching up with major domestic electric vehicle manufacturers in this field.

GM recently obtained authorization for L4 autonomous driving trials within specified zones in Shanghai, an announcement made by the automaker today.

The initial phase of these trials spans one year, with test vehicles, particularly the Cadillac Lyriq, operating in Shanghai’s Jinqiao district.

The trial runs are intended to enhance GM’s comprehension of China’s diverse road scenarios, regulatory prerequisites, and driving behaviors. Song Leping, Chief Technology Officer of GM China, emphasized that this initiative aims to expedite the development of personalized solutions for Chinese users.

To expedite algorithmic iterations and lay the groundwork for more advanced autonomous driving trials and operations in the future, GM will harness the artificial intelligence technology provided by Momenta, a Chinese autonomous driving startup. GM outlined these details in an article posted on its WeChat account.

GM and Momenta’s local teams are collaborating to engineer autonomous driving technology specifically tailored for the Chinese market. This technology exhibits potential for extensive use in private vehicles while seamlessly integrating with GM’s Ultium platform.

Founded in 2016, Momenta enjoys backing from GM. The automotive giant announced a $300 million investment in Momenta on September 23, 2021. This investment is aimed at accelerating the development of next-generation autonomous driving technology for GM’s future vehicle models in China.

GM’s investment announcement followed its Chinese partner SAIC’s statement on September 15, 2021, which declared an increased investment in Momenta. SAIC had already become the leading institutional investor in March, heading Momenta’s Series C funding round.

Both entities plan to further co-create comprehensive intelligent driving algorithms, propel the swift adoption of L4 autonomous driving in China, and take the lead in the global industrialization of intelligent driving technology, as announced by SAIC at that time.