A fatal accident involving an Nio ES8 has raised questions about car companies' marketing of self-driving features. Now Li Auto CEO Li Xiang is calling on all organizations and media to take action to avoid public misunderstanding.
"I call on the media and industry bodies to unify the Chinese terminology standard for autonomous driving, because users can't understand what L2 and L3 are, which are jargon," Li said in its WeChat status on Monday.
He suggested that people standardize the names as follows.
- L2, assisted driving (辅助驾驶).
- L3, automated assisted driving (自动辅助驾驶).
- L4, autonomous driving (自动驾驶).
- L5, unmanned driving (无人驾驶).
"Don't have any extra words in these terms to avoid exaggerated publicity to create misunderstanding among car users," he said.
Li said industry players should exercise restraint in marketing, but invest more in technology that will benefit users, the industry, and companies in the long run.
Lin Wenqin, the founder of Chinese restaurant brand Meiyihao, died in a traffic accident last Thursday while driving an Nio ES8 in Fujian.
The traffic accident occurred at 2 p.m. on August 12, 2021, when the ES8 had the autonomous driving feature NOP (Navigation On Pilot) turned on, Meiyihao said in an obituary released on Saturday, bringing the feature into the spotlight.
For Li Auto, its vehicles also have the L2 feature, which had been abused earlier this month.
A video of an owner tricking a Li ONE into going into "full autopilot" went viral on the Internet in China on August 4, bringing the company into the spotlight.
The video shows the driver taking his hands off the wheel and lying flat, leaving the car to drive solely on the assisted driving feature.
The driver uses seat belt buckles and a device that allows the steering wheel to feel weight, thus avoiding the Driver Monitoring System (DMS).
Later that day, Li Auto said on Weibo that an owner had mistakenly used Li Auto's Assisted Driving System with a dangerous device such as a seat belt buckle.
"Li Auto strongly objects to this situation and asks all owners to use the Assisted Driving System in the correct manner," the company said.
Li Auto reminds owners that they must wear a seat belt to use the Assisted Driving System and keep their hands off the steering wheel while the vehicle is in motion.
"The Li ONE offers assisted driving, not autonomous driving, and owners are urged to use it properly, drive safely and take care of their lives," the company said.
Li Auto says it strongly opposes such actions that put the safety of oneself, one's family and all traffic participants at risk, and asks Internet users not to distribute such videos.
