(Yicai Global) Jan. 8 -- China plans to push the development of smart cars, aiming for half of all the country's new vehicles to be intelligent by 2020.

The country plans to become a world leader in smart vehicles by 2035 with them accounting for all of the country's new car market by 2020, under a draft plan published by the National Development and Reform Commission, the nation's top economic planner. The NDRC has invited public and industry opinion on the paper.

But China's vast size and weak chip-manufacturing industry means quick expansion of communications network coverage is very difficult, Prof. Zhu Xichan, head of the institute of automotive safety technology at Tongji University, told the Paper news website.

It will also be difficult for makers of smart car to choose between high-precision map formats, secure sophisticated Beidou high-precision maps and find industrialized supply chains of laser and radar products, Zhu added.

High-level smart cars need 51 times more computing power and data than medium-to-high level versions do. It is very difficult to meet that requirement with existing decision-making and control algorithms and learning technologies. In addition, 64-line laser radar products needed to produce high-level smart vehicles cost as much as USD80,000, and require very sophisticated production technologies. How to cut costs through large-scale production and make consumers pay for the cars is also a big challenge.

Analysts also noted that the draft is rough and it remains unclear whether vehicles need to have all or just some of the functions mentioned in the goals to qualify for a smart vehicle. Neither has the government stated incentives and penalties for carmakers in relation to the criteria, they said. It remains to be seen what specific impact it could make.