Shanghai issued a new batch of demonstrative operation licenses for driverless intelligent connected vehicles on Saturday during the 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference held in Shanghai from July 26 to 28.

Companies including Pony AI, Baidu and Saike Intelligent Technology were among the first to receive the permits.

The licenses cover four models across two business scenarios and are backed by millions of kilometers in operational mileage and extensive empirical data, underscoring a strong foundation in engineering capabilities.

Industry insiders noted that the issuance of this new batch of licenses marks a new phase for Shanghai's intelligent vehicle operations, one of normalization and scaling up. It is expected to further accelerate the large-scale commercial application of Level 4 autonomous driving technology, representing another significant step forward for China in the global race toward autonomous vehicle commercialization.