Authorities in the Jiading district of Shanghai unveiled a plan to develop smart-connected cars at the 2015 China International Industry Fair, Nov 3-7. The plan is in line with a call from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in July to launch the country's first smart-connected vehicle demonstration zone in the district's Anting town, where the international automobile city is located.

They said that the construction of the demonstration zone will be carried out in three stages. The first stage will cover an area of 5 square kilometers, involving the Shanghai Auto Expo Park, the Jiading Campus of the Tongji University and an enclosed area in the Shanghai International Circuit. Facilities such as traffic lights and signal control will be installed at these areas to test and display the current technologies in smart-connected cars. When it is completed in April 2016, 200 vehicles will have had test drives there.

The second stage will cover an area of 27 square kilometers and its construction, which will meet all needs of vehicle testing and R&D, is expected to start in July, 2016. When it is completed, the number of cars having test drives will rise to 2,000. Local authorities will also roll out related technical standards and norms to regulate the smart-connected auto sector.

The third stage will cover a 25-square-kilometer section in the core area of the automobile city. The road for vehicle testing will be 50 kilometers long, and traverse residential areas, schools, hotels and parks. The number of vehicles taking test drives, including cars, minibuses and vans, will have reached nearly 10,000 by this stage.

Taking advantage of the demonstration zone, Jiading will transform its traditional auto industry and seek cooperation with top Chinese institutions and universities, including Tsinghua and Tongji universities, the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, and the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, to explore further R&D and promotion of smart-connected vehicles.

Experts predict that intelligent cars will prevail in the future auto market and their sales will witness a significant jump starting from 2040, reaching a market share of over 50 percent. Local authorities said that they will do more to promote the development of smart-connected vehicles in China.