Vehicles of categories M₁, N, O, R, S and T may fall out of scope of UN R155 or UN R156 if they lack ECUs or do not permit software updates. Approval authorities currently make individual determinations regarding whether vehicles are in or out of scope, and justification for out-of-scope decisions must be recorded to ensure vehicles remain out of scope during the lifetime of whole vehicle approval. UN Regulation No. 10 provides precedent by allowing approvals for vehicles where certain equipment is not relevant. A similar provision could be incorporated into UN R155 and UN R156 by amending the scope and adding provisions to section 5 allowing manufacturers to obtain approvals for vehicles that do not permit software updates, with requirements of paragraph 7 not applying.

The AI IWG held two meetings since the last WP.29 session and has virtual meetings scheduled for 23 July 2026 and 3 September 2026. The IWG compiled literature on regulated automotive safety systems using AI (AI-09-04), created Terms & Definitions for AI (AI-09-05), listed AI use cases for regulated automotive safety systems (AI-09-03), and created a draft guiding questions document (AI-08-07). A working draft AI Reference Document (AI-09-06/Rev.3) exists but is not finished. The AI IWG requests an extension of its mandate to deliver the AI Reference Document as a working document no later than June 2027.

France presented feedback from a dedicated workshop on virtual testing held 7 May 2026, attended by up to 55 participants including competent persons, OICA, CLEPA, and ETRTO. The majority supports basing the proposal on the latest content of the Automated Driving Systems regulation rather than UN R152, with extraction suitable for all applications. The group agreed that an amendment to Resolution MR.1 is the best administrative option to cover both agreements. Technical content requiring agreement includes definitions, terminology, application to components and Specified Technical Units, uncertainties, safety margins, credibility levels, audit skills, and ISO references. Virtual testing should remain an alternative to physical testing. France will organize another workshop on 25 September 2026, with written contributions due by 11 September.

The Task Force on Vehicular Communications held a virtual meeting on 11 June where presentations were made by China CAICT with support from CATARC, the European Commission DG MOVE, and SAE International on communications to improve protection of VRUs. No IWG on ITS meetings have been held since the last WP.29 session. Co-chairs are UK, U.S., and Japan; the vice-chair of TF VC is China. The next Future Networked Car Symposium will be held in hybrid format on 9 July 2026 at Palexpo, Geneva, jointly organised by ITU and UNECE, focusing on the new ADS regulation.

This status report summarizes work by expert groups on regulatory fitness for Automated Driving Systems presented to WP.29 at its 198th session. Expert groups screened UN Regulations and GTRs to determine relevance for automated vehicles and drafted amendments. As of June 2026, 92 amendment proposals across 88 Regulations have been submitted. Key closed items include overlap with ADS capabilities, test modes, monitoring passengers, and user roles. Ongoing tasks include crashworthiness regulation for category Y, ADS marker lamps, and EMC refinements. The groups concluded that urban shuttles and delivery robots represent use cases potentially requiring future category consideration based on Contracting Party and stakeholder input.

This draft reference document consolidates input from documents AI-07-06, AI-09-03, AI-09-04, AI-08-07, and AI-09-05 to fulfill the initial deliverable of the IWG on Artificial Intelligence pursuant to WP.29/1190. The document addresses AI uses and benefits in automotive, establishes AI use cases prioritizing regulated automotive safety applications, identifies potential risks across AI lifecycle stages, and presents illustrative risk management practices informed by literature review. Seven whole-system lifecycle risks are identified, including insufficient documentation and traceability, inadequate organizational governance, and process drift. Additional risks span AI and use case specification, model architecture and training, data management, verification and validation, and in-use monitoring. Risk management practices derive from standards including ISO 26262, ISO 21448, ISO 23894, and UN Regulations 155 and 156, complemented by research and policy frameworks.

The IWG on Prioritization was established under WP.29 Vice-Chair leadership with participation of GR Chairs. A preliminary session held 2 June 2026 reviewed a UK document listing priority workstreams and discussed prioritization and efficiency as separate considerations. The IWG agreed on the need for flexibility and discussed digitalization of WP.29 report activity. Future sessions will address common understanding of prioritization, review of current GR activities, possible approaches to define prioritization, and enhancement of efficiency, with participation expanded to include CPs and NGOs.