On April 12, 2016, a Changan Raetonsedan began an autonomous demonstration drive from Changan's General Research Institute in Chongqing (China) to Beijing (China). Upon its arrival in Beijing on April 17, 2016, this autonomous vehicle will have covered over 2,000 km.

This autonomous road demonstration will make Changan the first Chinese automaker to have developed and tested a long distance autonomous driving vehicle. This Raeton test vehicle demonstrates Changan's strength and leadership among Chinese OEMs in developing autonomous technology. This project's success signifies a technical leap from the traditional automobile to the smart automobile.

During this test drive, the Raeton will be able to maintain single lane autonomous driving, utilize adaptive cruise control, and deal with traffic jams on expressways. The autonomousRaeton can also pass slower traffic (when the driver requests this maneuver), and is also able to identify speed limits by examining speed limit signs.

The Raeton is able to accomplish these tasks by reading the driving environment using a high-precision combination of radar tracking, artificial intelligence, and camera based imaging technologies. This road test between Chongqing and Beijing is not only a test of the major functions of the Raeton's semi-autonomous vehicle technologies, but it provides valuable experience for Changan’s advanced engineering teams.

To ensure Changan's long-term leadership in the connected and autonomous vehicle field, Changan will integrate its global resources to create a global autonomous vehicle R&D system. An autonomous vehicle Technology R&D center was already established at the General Research Institute in China, along with a R&D department at Changan's United States R&D Center.

Changan is also moving to set up an office in Silicon Valley, California (USA) and a software development center in India. Each one of these centers will focus on developing key hardware and software technologies for our connected and autonomous vehicle efforts.

As a result of these advancements in autonomous vehicle technologies, Changan is able to offer advanced systems on the vehicles we make today. The Raeton sedan and the CS75 SUV offer our drivers panoramic camera views of the vehicle's surroundings when parking, lane change warning guides, and lane departure warnings. These technologies are all designed to make sure today's vehicles are safe and enjoyable to drive. By 2018, Changan expects to begin offering even more advanced autonomous vehicle features in select Changan production vehicles.

Changan Automobile has entered a period of rapid technological development and market expansion. Changan has sold more than 10 million vehicles over its history, and last year we became the first Chinese OEM to produce and sell 1 million Chinese branded vehicles within a single year. Changan Automotive is committed to providing our customers with vehicles that are environmentally friendly, fashionable, affordable and safe. Changan will work to always provide the advanced technologies and great service levels our customers demand.