Master Changan Motors is testing Self-Driving Technology on the roads of Pakistan

Self-driving cars might be the future of the Pakistani auto market as Master Changan Motors leads the country into the future of mobility. The automaker has been continually introducing new automotive technologies and testing them on the roads of Pakistan.

Self-driving cars are now being tested in Pakistan

Danial Malik, the CEO of Master Changan Motors, stated:

The future is here; it is just not evenly distributed. Changan Pakistan is here to change that by bringing the future to Pakistan and indigenizing autonomous mobility. Changan Auto is the leader in advanced mobility technologies in China, and we see no reason why we cannot introduce them in Pakistan. We aim to catalyze a safer tomorrow by bringing the very best of global autonomous technology to Pakistan.

The CEO further added:

Master Changan’s vision of ‘Future Forward, Forever’, is the driving force under which we are testing proprietary Artificial Intelligence-based autonomous driving technologies and adapting them to Pakistani roads.

It should be noted that, in a previous interview, Danial Malik stated:

We (at Master Changan) believe people don’t buy what you sell, they buy why you sell it – and with Master Changan, we have a powerful why, a why which runs through our people, products, plants, offices, and everything we do.

The news hits Social Media Platforms

The teasers of the vehicle testing were released on Changan Pakistan’s official Facebook page, and social media users went abuzz with palpable excitement. Many expressed that it is exciting to see such technologically advanced vehicles being (potentially) introduced to the Pakistani market.

About the Self-driving vehicle

Changan Pakistan is conducting self-driving technology testing on the Changan UNI-T. This vehicle is the first vehicle of a new product series by the automaker called ‘UNI’, which leverages several futuristic technologies in tandem with a unique, avant-garde design.

The futuristic UNI-T comes equipped with:

• an AI-chip-based intelligent vehicle system
• a dual-screen touch interface
• an intelligent voice activation
• a facial recognition system

All of these come together to create a multi-sensory best-in-class human-machine interactive experience that takes everyone sitting in the vehicle to a futuristic science fiction world.

Here are some pictures of the vehicle:

The stunning design of the UNI-T is inspired by a spaceship. The front of the UNI-T forms the basic concept around which the silhouette of the entire vehicle evolves.

The strongly defined LED lights enhance the trapezoid-cut integrated diamond grill. The split headlamps and flushed door handles perfectly blend into the motion and tension of the body curve. The V-shape tail wing of the vehicle is not only stylish and bold but also guides the airflow, yielding an eye-catching design that combines both aesthetics and functionality.

According to reports, the Changan UNI-T possesses Level 3 autonomous driving capability, which means that in the first iteration, the driver will not need to keep his or her eyes on the road continually. In later iterations, the driving experience will move onwards to the hands-free and feet-free stage. Moreover, the vehicle has a fully autonomous driverless self-park technology.

Infrastructure Needed for Self-driving vehicles

Self-driving systems have to execute many functions reliably and safely across a wide variety of situations and conditions. These procedures call for a variety of technological systems placement and up-gradation to take place in the country.

Sensors and detailed mapping software have to be deployed to build representations of the environments and update them many times a second. However, the systems are not limited to the vehicle’s onboard technology only but also the environment in which it is deployed.

A standardized and active environment – a more smart infrastructure – will be needed to make the existence of self-driving vehicles possible in Pakistan. Common protocols and communication standards will have to be devised. Think of radio transmitters replacing traffic lights, higher-capacity mobile and wireless data networks handling both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, and roadside units providing real-time data on weather, traffic, and other conditions.

Regardless, Pakistanis are excited about the self-driving technology being tested on the roads of Pakistan for the first time ever. Now only time will tell whether the technological innovation is feasible to launch in the country or not.

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