National Business Wire (Dec 14) -- BMW Group said Thursday that it has gained approval to test L3 autonomous driving in Shanghai.

The German automaker revealed in a press release that it formally received a license to test autonomous driving on highways and urban expressways in Shanghai for vehicles featuring Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities.

A photo in the press release shows that the license is valid through June 8, 2024.

With this approval, BMW's L3 autonomous driving becomes a product that complies with the UN Regulation No. 157 - Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) and has qualified for high speed road testing in China.

BMW said it will conduct L3 autonomous driving tests in designated areas under the supervision and guidance of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government.

"In the future, BMW will launch products equipped with L3 autonomous driving functions at an appropriate time in compliance with Chinese laws and regulations to meet Chinese consumers' demand for advanced intelligent driving," it said.