(Yicai Global) Feb. 25 -- China has relaxed its target to reach mass production of highly automated driverless vehicles instead of fully automated ones by 2025, according to a joint report by several government agencies.

China will manufacture L3 autonomous vehicles on a large scale and achieve regional fifth-generation network coverage in five years, some 11 departments said in a report released yesterday. The earlier goal, set two years ago, was to reach L4 by then. The difference is that L3 fits highway conditions but L4 can handle roads with pedestrians and even override system failures.

China's development of connected vehicles has not met the expectations, Bohai Securities said in a report published yesterday. It has also been difficult to reach the intended 90 percent 5G wireless network coverage, it added.

But much money is spent on accelerating progress. The scale of China's automotive electronics market will exceed CNY900 billion (USD128.1 billion) and that for advanced driver-assistance systems will exceed CNY100 billion this year, the Tianjin-headquartered brokerage added.

The country will become a safe and green smart car powerhouse in the period from 2035 to 2050, according to the government report. By 2025, the related infrastructure, regulations, and standards should be ready, it added.

Editor: Emmi Laine