Haval aims for fully autonomous model by 2020

Haval Motors is aiming to produce the company’s first fully autonomous vehicle by 2020.

The carmaker is working on an autonomous driving system collaboratively with engineering teams in the US, India and China. Prototype models have already reached Level III autonomy and are being tested this year.

Level III vehicles still require drivers, but can shift “safety-critical functions” entirely to the vehicle, under certain traffic or environmental conditions. Essentially, the car can drive and monitor the environment itself.

Haval chairman Wei Jinajun says the company would invest a further $6 billion dollars into a globalised research and development system by 2020 to keep the company at the cutting edge of automotive technology.

In addition to autonomous vehicles, the company is investing heavily in alternative fuel technology, focusing on plug-in electric hybrid vehicles.

Wei made the announcement at the Haval Million Sales Celebration event in Baoding, China last month.

“We will continue to specialise in SUVs as we work toward our goal of being the biggest SUV brand in the world by 2020,” Wei says.

Haval has been the biggest-selling SUV brand in China since 2002. Last year its top selling model – the H6 – was the fourth biggest selling SUV in the world with more than 580,000 units sold.