Volkswagen announces Level-3 vehicles for China from end of 2027

In China, robotaxis that operate entirely without a driver are already in use in several cities. Several manufacturers are testing autonomous driving functions in real road traffic there. China is thus, according to information from the facts, approaching broad availability of such systems also in everyday vehicles. With the announced market launch in 2027, Volkswagen is positioning itself in this growing environment.

China as a pioneer in autonomous cars

In Germany, Mercedes-Benz and BMW had at times offered Level-3 functions in their top models, but have since discontinued these offerings. Against this backdrop, Volkswagen's move is notable: the group is bringing the technology not first to Europe, but directly to the Chinese market.

Volkswagen justified the choice of market with, among other things, the regulatory framework conditions and the pace of introduction in China. The People's Republic is considered one of the pioneers in the approval and testing of automated driving functions. For customers, this means concretely that in defined situations, such as on multi-lane highways, they may let go of the steering wheel while the system takes over driving tasks.

Role of artificial intelligence

In the background is a broader AI strategy by the group. Volkswagen stated that artificial intelligence should accelerate the development of autonomous driving systems. With Horizon Robotics as a partner, Volkswagen gains access to an AI model tailored to processing large volumes of traffic data from the Chinese market.

Parallel to the technology plans, the company's economic situation was also reported on Wednesday. VW's preferred share rose in XETRA trading at the time of the report by 1.19 percent to 73.42 euros. On July 14, 2026, RBC Capital Markets had rated the VW preferred share with an "Outperform" rating. JP Morgan Chase & Co. was also named as a relevant observer of the share.

Diesel scandal and annual general meeting

Legally, the company continues to deal with the consequences of the diesel scandal. The Federal Court of Justice stated on September 30, 2025: "Hinsichtlich der Beschlüsse über die Zustimmung zu den Haftungsvergleichen wurde das Verfahren zur weiteren Prüfung an das Oberlandesgericht Celle zurückverwiesen." Volkswagen explained that the approval had been partially declared void for formal reasons, not because of substantive defects. The group puts its internal costs in connection with the diesel manipulation at around 33 billion euros.

The Schutzgemeinschaft der Kapitalanleger (SdK) had already sued against a first settlement in 2021 and was partially successful. In June, Volkswagen's annual general meeting submitted the settlements with former CEO Martin Winterkorn and with insurers in the matter essentially unchanged for a new vote. Both resolutions were, according to the facts, adopted with over 97 percent of the votes of VW shareholders, the resolution on Winterkorn with 99.99 percent. SdK board member Markus Kienle, however, criticized the lack of transparency: "Bei einem Vergleich dieser wirtschaftlichen und rechtlichen Tragweite muss die Hauptversammlung nachvollziehen können, welche Ansprüche aufgegeben werden, welchen Wert diese Ansprüche besitzen und auf welcher Grundlage die vereinbarten Gegenleistungen als angemessen angesehen werden," he said.

In the settlement, Winterkorn was to pay Volkswagen 11.2 million euros and, in return, be released from further claims. According to its own information, Volkswagen has, despite the ongoing judicial review, submitted a further resolution to confirm approval of the liability settlement.