Clarity urged over 'smart driving'

A fleet of Chery models drives itself across a bridge over the Yangtze River in Wuhu, Anhui province, on March 18, 2025. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

Smart driving, which has been a buzzword in China for quite some time, is gaining further attention, as the government and some automotive executives have called for cautious use of the ambiguous term.

Vehicle automation is divided into six levels, from Level 0 to 5, according to the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Functions available in passenger vehicles in China are Level 2, usually known as driving-assist functions, but many carmakers refer to them as smart driving, or high-level smart driving, in marketing campaigns, which sound more advanced than they are actually are.

A great number of car buyers are prone to buy into the hype as well, believing that their cars are capable of autonomous driving, which is in fact classified as Level 4 or 5.

A number of automotive executives have started to call for cautious use of the term after a fatal Xiaomi car accident involving its driving-assist system on a highway in Anhui province in late March.

Xiaomi's vast popularity among the young sparked widespread discussion about the safety of the vehicle's smart driving system and fire risks.

At a technology meeting on Wednesday, Voyah CEO Lu Fang said carmakers should inform car buyers of the capabilities of the specific models they choose.

"Safety is the baseline. They must know what their vehicles can do. Also, you shall never confuse them with those vague ideas," said Lu.

"The very purpose of tools of transport is to move things and people from point A to point B safely. So safety is a topic you can never evade," he said.

In a previous interview, Lu said he sometimes got angry at the videos that went viral online, where some bragged about how smart their vehicles were.

On Tuesday, Huawei's Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance issued a notice, calling for the use of smart driving in a "standardized way".

It nevertheless claimed that its system has helped 700,000 vehicles prevent 1.7 million possible accidents.

"Safety is the best luxury," said Yu Chengdong, a Huawei executive in charge of the HIMA, when he unveiled new models on Wednesday.

On the same day, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology convened a meeting on the management of intelligent connected vehicles. Attendees included representatives from major carmakers across the country.

Among other things, it told automakers that they must thoroughly test advanced driver assistance systems, clearly define system boundaries and safety response measures, and avoid exaggerated or misleading marketing.

Companies must also fulfill their duty to inform users, ensure production consistency, and take full responsibility for product quality and safety, said the ministry.

Since last year, the popularity of smart driving technologies have seen explosive growth.

According to data from research institute Gaogong, in 2024, a total of 8.67 million passenger vehicles in the Chinese market were delivered with Level 2 systems, accounting for more than 41 percent of total vehicle deliveries in the sector.