Recently, a popular Chinese automotive information platform, “Dongche Di,” released a program called “Dongche Zhi Lian Chang,” which assisted in educating drivers on advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). The program revealed that the average pass rate of nearly 40 mainstream vehicle models in simulated tests was only 35.74%, sparking widespread attention from the industry and consumers.
On July 23, Dongche Di, in collaboration with China Central Television (CCTV), released a series of videos showcasing simulated accident scenarios involving ADAS. The tests included 36 popular and top-selling models from over 20 well-known brands in the market, such as Tesla, Xiaomi, Xiaopeng, NIO, BYD, Li Auto, Leapmotor, Xpeng, and Baoneng, covering 15 types of high-risk ADAS accident scenarios in urban and highway settings.
The test data revealed that the overall performance of the participating vehicle models was not ideal, with an average pass rate of only 35.74%. Regardless of the simulated accident scenario, whether on highways or city roads, no ADAS system from any automaker could pass all test items.
Specifically, in urban road scenarios, 58% of the tested vehicles could effectively stop when faced with emergencies like children suddenly running across the road. The pass rate was lowest for the scenario of “entering a roundabout,” standing at only 23%.
In highway scenarios, the pass rates were relatively lower. Among them, the scenario with the highest pass rate was encountering a truck in a construction zone, at 47%. However, scenarios like “disappearing lead car” and “reckless crossing pig” had pass rates of only 14% and 5%, respectively.
According to the test results circulating online, Tesla Model X and Model 3 showed relatively outstanding performance in the highway scenarios. Model 3 and Model X performed the best, with Model 3 failing only in the “reckless crossing pig” scenario, while Model X failed in the “temporary highway construction” scenario. All other models failed in three or more items.
In urban scenarios, Tesla Model X performed the best, passing 8 times with a pass rate of 88.9%. Following closely, Zhi Jie R7, Avita 12, and Haozhi 3X each passed 7 times.
On July 25, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared a test video of the high-speed highway scenario from Dongche Di’s “Dongche Zhi Lian Chang” ADAS program on the X platform of a social media site, commenting, “Due to data export laws, Tesla achieved the highest score in China without local training data.”
In response to Musk’s statement, Dongche Di clarified that the core goal of the program is to “remind the public to correctly understand the functions and safety boundaries of ADAS, and to enhance awareness of safe driving,” emphasizing that they have never conducted any official rankings.
Various automakers reacted differently to these test results. Brands like Huawei’s Hongmeng Zhi Xing, AITO Motors, and Zhi Jie Motors adopted a cautious approach, stating on their official Weibo accounts, “We have seen certain platform’s so-called ‘tests,’ and have no comment.”
Tesla’s Vice President, Tao Lin, mentioned that they do not focus on rankings, stressing that “safety requirements have no limits, and we will continue to invest in research and development to achieve higher safety standards.”
Arantoo Automobile’s CBO, Shao Mingfeng, wrote that “this test is like a mirror, reflecting the shared technological bottlenecks that exist in the industry under extreme scenarios,” and emphasized the urgent need to improve abilities like high-speed evasion and perception systems for recognizing non-standard obstacles.
Responding to the tests, Peng Baolin, certified on Weibo as Deputy General Manager of Sales at GAC Toyota, stated, “Safety comes first, life matters most, and even the best autonomous driving is just driver assistance.”
Back in December 2023, Dongche Di released test results for around 20 hybrid electric vehicle models in severe cold conditions, with Huawei’s jointly designed AITO M7 extended-range version achieving the lowest range completion rate at 31.6%, sparking significant controversy. Since then, automotive rankings in China have become a sensitive topic.