China had 15 million cars with navigation assistance as of August, with new approvals in the works

About 15 million cars in China equipped with navigation assistance

As of August 2026, about 15 million passenger cars in China were equipped with a navigation assistance system that helps drivers follow a route. Around 61 million passenger cars had Level 2 driver assistance systems in total, and about 25% of those had navigation assistance. The figures reflect the existing vehicle fleet, not annual sales, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology said at the World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference in Beijing.

China has established an initial framework of technical standards for connected transport, with work underway on more than 400 standards covering intelligent vehicles, information and communications technology, intelligent transport and vehicle management. A draft 2026 revision of the guidelines, released for public consultation, proposes developing requirements for functions, components and safety, as well as autonomous driving operations and services.

Guo Shougang, head of the equipment industry department at China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said preparations were underway for a second batch of pilot market approvals for vehicles with Level 3 driving automation. He did not name the manufacturers or models, or give a timeline for potential approval. The first batch of Level 3 models from Changan and BAIC received conditional approval in December 2025. These functions may be used only on designated road sections and under specified operating conditions.