China's first official license plate dedicated to Level-3 (L3) autonomous driving was issued in the southwestern city of Chongqing on Saturday, marking a leap as advanced driving technologies transitions from limited testing authorization to formal road access. The license plate, bearing the number of "Yu-AD0001Z," was granted by the municipal public security and traffic administration authority to a car manufactured by Chinese auto maker Changan Automobile. Last week, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) granted permits to two electric sedans -- one from Changan Automobile and the other from BAIC Motor's Arcfox -- to offer L3 self-driving functions on select roads in Chongqing and Beijing, respectively. The step from Level 2 to Level 3 is a critical transition from assisted driving to automated driving. Level 3, "conditionally automated driving," allows vehicles to perform dynamic automated driving tasks while requiring a human driver to remain available to take control when requested. At present, Changan Automobile's L3 autonomous driving system has been tested on real roads in Chongqing for over 5 million kilometers. Shotlist: Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - Dec 20, 2025: 1. Traffic police officer handing over China's first official license plate exclusively for Level-3 autonomous driving, "Yu-AD0001Z," to representative of Changan Automobile; 2. Various of signs reading "Tianshu Intelligent" on car; 3. Various of traffic police officer installing license plate; 4. Aerial shots of car with Level-3 autonomous driving capabilities running on road; 5. Driver; 6. Dashboard; 7. Various of car with Level-3 autonomous driving capabilities running on road; 8. Various of traffic police officer, technicians working; FILE: Chongqing Municipality, southwest China - Date Unknown 9. Various of traffic monitoring center; 10. Various of autonomous driving tests. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]