Huawei Unveils ADS Safety and Parking Performance Data; Plans L3/L4 Autonomous Driving Pilots from 2026

As of April 2026, vehicles equipped with Huawei’s Qiankun ADS (Advanced Driving System) have reached 1.7 million units, with projections indicating this number will grow to 3 million by the end of 2026. The cumulative mileage driven with driver assistance has already surpassed 10.2 billion kilometers, and is expected to reach 10 billion kilometers for the full year of 2025 and 20 billion kilometers cumulatively by the end of 2026. In terms of safety performance, under typical Chinese road conditions, a severe accident requiring airbag deployment or seatbelt pretension occurs on average once every 1.8 million kilometers. For vehicles equipped with Qiankun ADS but not using the driver-assistance function, this figure improves to one incident per 5.17 million kilometers; when the system is activated, it further improves to one incident per 7.57 million kilometers. With the launch of ADS version 4.1 in January 2024, based on operational data covering 2.3 billion kilometers, this metric has improved even further—to approximately one incident per 11 million kilometers. Regarding automated parking, the ADS system recorded only one collision in 300,000 parking maneuvers, compared to human drivers, who on average experience one collision every 6,700 parking attempts. Huawei plans to invest over RMB 18 billion in R&D for driver-assistance technologies in 2026, with total investment over the next five years projected at RMB 70–80 billion, focusing on a sensor fusion perception technology roadmap. Key advancements in system capabilities include “seeing more clearly, thinking more intelligently, acting more precisely, and achieving greater system reliability.” On the timeline for autonomous driving deployment: In 2026, Huawei intends to apply—aligned with national planning—for pilot programs of L3-level conditional automation in select cities, while also trialing low-speed L4 urban scenarios (e.g., within campuses at speeds up to 20 km/h). High-speed scenarios at 120 km/h present no major technical barriers, though urban environments at 80 km/h remain challenging. By 2027, the goal is to achieve large-scale commercial deployment of L3, while advancing L4 along two parallel paths—To B (business-oriented) and To C (consumer-oriented)—with expanded Robotaxi pilot programs. In 2028, Huawei aims to launch commercial Robotaxi services and scale low-speed L4 deployments in select cities, while initiating pilots for full-speed L4 and long-haul logistics applications. Additionally, Huawei recommends policy support enabling vehicle owners to upgrade to 896-line LiDAR systems and allowing vehicles already equipped with L3-capable architectures and hardware to receive corresponding regulatory approvals via OTA updates, thereby accelerating technological iteration and compliant deployment.