(Yicai) June 5 -- China’s first batch of advanced autonomous driving licenses have been awarded to nine domestic vehicle manufacturers.

BAIC BluePark Magna Automobile, BYD, Changan Automobile, FAW Group, GAC Group, Nio, SAIC Hongyan, SAIC Motor, and Yutong Bus received the licenses allowing their vehicle models to drive with Level 3 and 4 self-driving capabilities on roads in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and three other cities, according to a document jointly released by four Chinese ministries yesterday.

Vehicle models of the above nine brands have to complete the specific registration process at related traffic management departments to be able to drive on roads, the document showed. Before that, they must pass product certification tests and safety assessments taken under the supervision of relevant government agencies.

China began accepting applications from vehicle manufacturers for autonomous driving on roads in November last year.

Tesla, which is advancing the application of its Full Self-Driving Capability in China, did not receive a license this time. The US electric vehicle giant still faces regulatory issues over data collection and transmission, experts told Yicai.

Editor: Futura Costaglione