China is accelerating the development of its 15th Five-Year Plan for intelligent connected new energy vehicles, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) signaling that the roadmap will cover autonomous driving standards, V2X infrastructure expansion, and domestic chip sovereignty for ADAS systems. The announcement comes as ADAS-equipped vehicles now represent 70% of new passenger car sales in China, and automotive exports reached a record 635.8 billion yuan ($87.5 billion) in H1 2026 — up 48.3% year-over-year.
Key Highlights of the Plan
The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) targets ADAS penetration above 90% by 2030, expands China’s leadership in United Nations global ADAS technical regulations, and scales V2X (Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration) pilot programs from select cities to a national framework. L3 autonomous driving mass production approval will be accelerated, and a unified national road testing framework across 50+ cities is planned. The plan also commits to full domestic supply chain sovereignty for autonomous driving chips — currently led by Horizon Robotics and Huawei HiSilicon, which have reduced ADAS hardware costs by 60–70% compared to international suppliers.
The Export Machine Behind the Policy
The H1 2026 export numbers explain the urgency: NEV export value hit 360.68 billion yuan ($49.7B, +68.7% YoY), with vehicle volume reaching 5.096 million units (+65.3%). Chinese brands offering advanced ADAS at price points 30–50% below European and Japanese competitors are disrupting markets across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and increasingly Europe. For deeper analysis of the policy framework and export data, read iEVChina’s full coverage.
What This Means Globally
China’s V2X approach — integrating vehicle intelligence with road infrastructure and cloud computing — requires significant government investment but creates a structural advantage over vehicle-side-only approaches favored by Western OEMs. The draft plan is expected for industry consultation by Q4 2026, with formal release in early 2027. For global automakers, the message is clear: the regulatory and technology baseline in China is advancing faster than any other major market.
Sources: MIIT (miit.gov.cn) · CAAM (caam.org.cn) · Cailian Press (cls.cn)
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