In 2026, China's smart driving industry achieved multiple breakthroughs: WAIC showcased the full chain from chips to mass production, Huawei proposed shifting from feature competition to safety-experience balance, and new national standards took effect in July.
WAIC 2026: Full Chain Demonstration
At WAIC 2026, companies like Horizon, Huawei, and Momenta demonstrated latest advances covering urban NOA, highway NOA, and automated parking, showing the complete chain from chips to mass production.
Huawei: From Features to Safety
Huawei's Jin Yuzhi noted the shift from "feature competition" to "safety-experience balance." Users now care more about safety and smoothness than feature counts.
This shift means:
- Evaluation standards change: From "feature lists" to "user experience"
- Safety as baseline: No smart feature should compromise safety
- Reliability priority: Edge case handling becomes core competitiveness
Mass Production Era Begins
Zhuoyu Technology's Changzhou factory marks the shift from lab to factory, with annual capacity planned at million-set level for front-mounted ADAS solutions.
Mass production means:
- Cost reduction: Scale effects drive down per-unit costs
- Quality stability: Industrial production ensures consistency
- Supply assurance: Meeting large-scale OEM installation needs
New Standards Regulate L2+ Marketing
New national standards prohibit misleading terms like "autonomous driving" and mandate driver monitoring systems (DMS), effectively curbing "over-marketing."
Significance for Central Asia and Russia
China's rapidly maturing smart driving technology provides differentiated competitiveness for models exported to Central Asia and Russia. Urban NOA and highway NOA features offer real value in complex local road conditions.
