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A
government announcement on regulations requiring basic
autonomous driving functions for large commercial vehicles, such
as alerting drivers when they veer from their lane or are about
to hit a pedestrian, could come as soon as Tuesday, sales
director David Oberman told reporters in Beijing.
"Very soon, China will follow the example of the European Union,
Israel, Singapore and other countries and will make laws to make
it mandatory to install such systems in buses and trucks,"
Oberman said.
The company's annual sales of tens of thousands of advance
driver assistance units in China will increase "exponentially"
after that happens, he said.
The Ministry of Transportation did not respond immediately when
contacted by phone and fax.
China is expected to release draft standards for self-driving
cars later this year, enabling the rapid deployment of such
vehicles first on highways and later on city roads.
It has been slower than some other developed countries in
advancing autonomous driving technology but unified regulations
could give the country an edge to rapidly catch up.
Mobileye is a second-tier supplier to companies such as Delphi
Automotive and Magna International which then sell its products
on to automakers.
It has become a major player in the autonomous driving market by
selling software and hardware that is used by Volkswagen's <VOWG_p.DE>
Audi, Tesla Motors and others.
The supplier first developed its business in the United States
and Europe before pushing into Japan and Korea, finding Chinese
automakers initially had little interest in its products,
Oberman said.
But it has recently made in-roads in China, selling to three
major Chinese suppliers including a subsidiary of Ningbo Joyson
Electronic and building up aftermarket sales.
"Even though the Chinese automakers woke up a little late (to
automated driving technology), now they are charging forward
very, very ferociously and I believe they will catch up and pass
the rest of the world very soon," he said.
(Reporting by Jake Spring; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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