On July 6, Volkswagen Group America (VWGoA) announced that it would launch the first autonomous vehicle test project in Austin later this month.

　　Volkswagen will test autonomous vehicle in the United States and plan to put them into commercial operation in 2026

　　Photo source: Volkswagen Group

　　The testing project will include 10 pure electric ID Buzz vehicles, and the first two test vehicles have arrived in the United States and will begin testing before the end of July. These vehicles will be equipped with an automated driving technology platform developed by Volkswagen Group in cooperation with Mobileye, including camera, radar and laser radar technologies. In the initial stage of testing, all vehicles will be equipped with human drivers. Volkswagen Group said that it could use Mobileye's supply base and map data to achieve economies of scale and reduce costs.

　　Over the next three years, VWGoA plans to expand its testing fleet in Austin and gradually expand its testing business to at least four other US cities. VWGoA predicts that by 2026, autonomous vehicle will be put into commercial operation in Austin.

　　Volkswagen Group pointed out that VWGoA launched a test project in the United States, marking that the Group has made new progress in promoting the research and development of autonomous vehicle worldwide. VWGoA also established a subsidiary called Volkswagen ADMT, LLC to support its autonomous vehicle project. The company has teams in Belmont, California and Austin, Texas, and plans to hire former Argo AI members.

　　According to Reuters, Volkswagen Group received nearly 100 employees from Argo and Argo autonomous vehicle Test Center in Austin.

　　Katrin Lohmann, President of Volkswagen ADMT, LLC, said, "We chose Austin as the first test center in the United States because this city actively embraces innovation and provides a favorable environment for the testing of autonomous vehicle.

　　This article is reprinted from Gaishi Automotive Information Network