Audi Volkswagen Korea, the local distributor of the two German brands, has received a temporary permit from the Seoul government to test drive its level 3 automation here, marking the first among import carmakers, the company said Thursday.

Equipped with self-driving systems, the Audi A8 will run on local roads and K-City, Korea‘s test bed for automated vehicles in Gyeonggi Province, collecting data on traffic conditions here, while developing its level 3 conditionally automated driving technology dubbed Traffic Jam Pilot.

The Traffic Jam Pilot is a technology that takes control of the steering wheel and speed without a driver’s interference at below 60 kilometers per hour, the company said.

“It is all the more meaningful for us to be the first imported automaker to test automated driving functions also on the public roads in Korea,” said Rene Koneberg, group managing director of Audi Volkswagen Korea.

The new Audi A8 is the world’s first level 3 automated vehicle, slated for release in Korea within the year.

The test vehicle will also be operated by a slew of partial self-driving systems: Lane Keeping Assist, Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Adaptive Cruise Assist, Speed Limiter, and Front Collision Warning. 

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)