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.