China Says Automakers Must Have Licences For Mapping Data In Smart Cars

Highlights
China has said that automakers must apply for licences to collect geographic data using sensors on their intelligent vehicles, highlighting Beijing's security concerns about the growing sophistication of smart cars' mapping capabilities.
The statement, a clarification of China's surveying and mapping law, reflects regulators efforts to prevent any scenario where highly-detailed visual data collected by smart cars could fall into the hands of hostile foreign actors.
The rules, effective since publication, could further complicate the local operations of foreign companies like Tesla, which already have to seek partnerships with Chinese firms when it comes to collecting and processing such data.
Automakers and developers of autonomous driving software should either apply for mapping licences or ask a licensed company to collect, store, transform and process geographic data, according to the statement published on Tuesday by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The official newspaper of the ministry said that the rapid development of China's intelligent and connected vehicle industry meant a "safety bottom line" had to be drawn for the "real-time high-precision coordinates, high-definition images and other data support" on which it is highly dependent.
The global market for the intelligent and connected vehicle industry is projected to reach $470 billion in 2030, Wan Gang, vice-chairman of China's national policy-making advisory body, told a conference in Beijing on Saturday.
Vehicles such as self-driving cars need to collect large amounts of geographical data in order to create high-precision maps that are essential for accurate and safe navigation.
China has so far issued mapping licences to more than 20 companies including search engine giant Baidu and Tencent-backed mapping company Navinfo.
Great Deals on Used Cars
View All Used Cars
- 35,249 km
- Petrol
- Manual

- 8,000 km
- Hybrid
- Automatic

- 88,000 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 72,000 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 53,763 km
- Petrol
- Manual

- 24,110 km
- Diesel
- Automatic

- 20,156 km
- Electric
- Automatic

- 64,000 km
- Petrol
- Manual

- 65,000 km
- Petrol
- Manual

- 85,000 km
- Hybrid
- Automatic
Upcoming Cars










Upcoming Bikes










Explore More
Latest News
Related Articles

-17068 second ago
The partnership looks to set up 7,000 electric vehicle charging stations across India.

-12192 second ago
Stellantis and Ample have already established a pilot program that will begin in Madrid, Spain, in 2024 and will be using 100 Fiat 500e EVs within Stellantis Free2move car-sharing service.

-7124 second ago
The one-off creation is mechanically identical to the standard Chiron Super Sport but features elements inspired by the Type 57 SC Atlantic such as the bespoke paint finish and chrome grille.

-1695 second ago
Bridgestone will take over from Hankook, which is the present tyre supplier for the single-seater electric racing championship.

-245 second ago
Measures undertaken by Renault include complimentary road-side assistance, expedited insurance claim settlement and extended working hours at service centres.

23 minutes ago
The imminent plan to deploy charging stations was shared by the chairman of the Adani Group Gautam Adani.

51 minutes ago
Owners can avail of these services until December 31, 2023.

2 hours ago
Special services also include complimentary towing, expedited insurance claims and repairs, and special offers on new vehicles in case the car is a total loss.

2 hours ago
The S1 X+ comes with a 3 kWh battery pack and has a claimed range of up to 151 km.

6 months ago
China has surpassed Japan as the world's leading auto exporter in the first quarter of 2023

9 months ago
The company is offering a discount of 40,000 yuan on the Mustang Mach E
9 months ago
Most immediately, Tesla's January price cuts drove deliveries of its China-made vehicles up 18% from December. Tesla's thick profit margins have put it in a position to take a price war to competitors in China and beyond, analysts say.

11 months ago
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union called on automakers to shift their entire supply chain out of China's Xinjiang region after a new report on Tuesday suggests that nearly every major automaker has significant exposure to products made with forced labor.

11 months ago
The main districts of Chinese tech hub Shenzhen shut down public transport and extended curbs on public activities as cities across China battled COVID-19 outbreaks that have dampened the outlook for economic recovery.
