-Level 3 autonomous Korando receives permit to take to the road

-Secure, safe and reliable, Level 3 autonomous technology takes a step closer towards production

-SsangYong pushes for new growth in the global automotive market by strengthening its development of next-gen and green car technologies

SsangYong has announced that its next generation Level 3 autonomous vehicle will be on the roads in Koreafrom December.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has issued a permit for this first road test of a SsangYong Korando Level 3 autonomous vehicle, and follows earlier testing of an autonomous Tivoli Air (XLV).

Level 3 autonomy enables the car to take control autonomously most of the time in everyday situations and environments including highway driving. To support companies develop self-driving technology, the Ministry first began issuing temporary licences for road testing of autonomous cars in February 2016.

The autonomous Korando can change lanes, maintain position, distance and speed from the vehicle in front, and also drive within a maximum speed limit using a high-precision, high-definition (HD) map of the road with precise positioning information. SsangYong is focusing onsecuringdriving stability while reducing mechanical variables when decelerating under cornering and while maintaining a safe speed.

Further, the self-driving Korando analyses traffic conditions around it when entering junctions and interchanges, and initiates lane changes to overtake slow moving traffic. Notably if any risk or obstacle is detected in its blind-spots when changing lane, a warning alert is given, and the car willreturn to its original lane to ensuresafety.

In an emergency or in the case of system failure, visual and audible warnings are given to instruct the driver to take control under ‘transition demand’, and if control is not transferred, the system automatically enters minimal risk mode.

SsangYong Motor began its research and development into autonomous driving in 2014, and as its development of autonomous vehicles progressed, demonstration events were staged in 2015 by the company, and in 2017 hosted by and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This successfully showcased the progress being made by autonomous cars within an intelligent transportation system via communication with the road infrastructure, and was based on a Tivoli equipped with autonomous driving technology.

A spokesperson for SsangYong Motor commented: “The granting of a temporary permit to operate our Korando autonomous vehicle on the road to verify its enhanced safety and reliability takes us another step closer to putting Level 3 autonomous driving technology into mass production.

"SsangYong is striving to develop next-generation and eco-friendly automobile technologies to achieve future growth in the rapidly changing global automotive market." - Ends -