Chinese Automaker to Let Customers Test Drive Autonomous Cars
- BAIC to give customers test drives of autonomous vehicles
- Plan is first involving multiple cars moving at same time
Employees work on the production line at the BAIC Motor Corporation facility in Beijing, China, on Nov. 6, 2014.
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Chinese automaker BAIC has an ambitious plan for beating Apple Inc. and Google Inc. in the autonomous car business: take the driver out of the test drive.
BAIC Group will be the first company to let customers ride in driverless cars that are maneuvering around each other, said Rong Hui, the executive overseeing the effort. This spring, BAIC will run as many as 10 electric cars on a course encompassing three American football fields, with features including traffic lights and faux landmarks such as housing and a hospital.