China’s Landmark ADAS Challenge: 36 Cars Face 15 Real-World Hazard Scenarios

Comprehensive ADAS Safety Testing in China: Pushing Boundaries of Automotive Technology

In a groundbreaking and exhaustive evaluation, Chinese automotive media outlet Dongchedi put 36 advanced vehicles through their paces in a large-scale ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) test. This extensive trial included 15 carefully designed obstacle scenarios combining demanding highway and intricate urban driving challenges—reflecting real-world driving hazards. The results offer crucial insights into the current performance, technology, and market positioning of new energy and mainstream automakers in the era of intelligent driving.

Highway ADAS Test: Sizing Up Real-World Performance

Dongchedi’s highway test subjected each car to six distinct hazard scenarios at expressway speeds. These included simulations such as sudden stops, aggressive merging traffic, temporary construction, a vehicle disappearing ahead, and even wild animal crossings. Each system's effectiveness was measured by its autonomous ability to avoid a crash—whether by emergency braking (AEB) or by evasive maneuvering.

Tesla took a commanding lead, with the Model 3 and Model X scoring 5 out of 6 points. Notably, the Model X was the sole vehicle able to avoid a collision with a simulated wild pig, despite Teslas not using lidar sensors—a testament to their highly optimized vision-based ADAS algorithms. In third place came the Great Wall Motor Wey Lanshan (Wey 07) with its new Coffee Pilot Ultra ADAS suite, showcasing significant progress by Chinese brands in advanced driver-assistance technologies.

At the other end of the spectrum, vehicles like the Zeekr 7X, Xpeng P7+, Onvo L60, Firefly EV, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class consistently failed the test scenarios, indicating room for growth in ADAS reliability for some models.

Comparative Technology and Hardware: Variability Matters

One surprising finding was that even within the same automaker, identical ADAS hardware and sensor setups delivered different results across sibling models. Experts suggest this could stem from software version discrepancies, sensor placements, or differences in the ADAS chips powering the systems—each impacting processing speed and hazard recognition in subtle, but important ways.

Highway Scenario ADAS Results: Top Performers

• Tesla Model 3: Passed 5/6 highway challenges
• Tesla Model X: Passed 5/6 highway challenges (only model to avoid animal collision)
• GWM Wey Lanshan: 3/6, strong showing among Chinese brands

Several well-known nameplates, including various BYD and Leapmotor models, along with VW Passat, failed to exhibit robust ADAS intervention in high-speed environments.

Urban ADAS Test: The Next Frontier for Driver Assistance

The urban evaluation introduced nine complex traffic challenges including roundabout navigation, U-turns, broken-down vehicle avoidance, child pedestrians, aggressive e-bike detection, and blind-spot left turn scenarios. This diverse blend mirrors the unpredictable and multi-threat landscape of dense city driving.

Again, the Tesla Model X emerged as a clear leader, scoring 8 out of 9—ahead of models featuring Huawei’s highly regarded ADS (Autonomous Driving System), including the Luxeed R7 and Avatr 12. These results highlight both the prowess of Tesla’s vision-based approach and the rapid advances of China’s domestic tech giants in the smart car sector.

Cars such as Zeekr 7X, Onvo L60, and Baojun Xiangjing trailed behind despite sophisticated ADAS packages, demonstrating the importance of extensive software tuning and real-world data in system performance.

Urban ADAS Top Rankings

• Tesla Model X: 8/9, highest city safety rating
• Luxeed R7 (Huawei ADS): 7/9
• Avatr 12 (Huawei ADS): 7/9
• Toyota bZ3X: 7/9 (noteworthy for a Japanese automaker)

Vehicle Specifications, Design, and Market Insights

The models tested ranged from premium electric sedans and SUVs to emerging domestic brands and international bestsellers. Tesla’s minimalistic interior design and over-the-air software update capability help ensure their ADAS systems are always at the forefront. In contrast, Chinese automotive groups are rapidly integrating advanced sensors and computing platforms such as Huawei ADS and Coffee Pilot Ultra, in a bid to challenge established global leaders in safety and autonomy.

The test also underscores the fierce competition in China’s automotive landscape, with domestic manufacturers closing the gap in smart driving technology, vehicle connectivity, and intelligent cockpit integration. Consumers now have more choices as brands differentiate on safety, user experience, and innovation.

Comparing Results: Global Benchmarks and Consumer Impact

This multi-vehicle, scenario-driven ADAS evaluation sets a new gold standard for global automotive safety testing. The standout performances by the Tesla Model X, Luxeed R7, and Avatr 12 reflect intense R&D investments and a laser-focus on user safety, while lower scoring vehicles highlight the need for continual improvement and validation.

For buyers, these comprehensive ADAS tests deliver vital information to inform safer, tech-forward vehicle choices—especially as advanced features become a key differentiator in the fast-evolving new energy vehicle market.

Images and scenario tables referenced are credited to Dongchedi and compiled by CarNewsChina.