The ADS informal working group status report to GRVA documents progress since the 24th GRVA session in January 2026. The group accepted proposals to make minor amendments to GTR and UNR, and accepted proposals to amend GTR and UNR to introduce DSSAD provisions. Working documents WP.29/2026/139 (GTR) and WP.29/2026/137 (UNR) were submitted for WP.29’s 199th session. For the 25th GRVA session, GRVA-25-21 and GRVA-25-22 were submitted as informal documents to amend WP.29/2026/137 and WP.29/2026/139. GRVA seeks a 3-year extension of the IWG-ADS mandate, with revised Terms of Reference to be prepared for GRVA-26 in September 2026.

Proposal to insert provisions on software identification and software updates into UN R13, UN R13-H, UN R79, UN R89, UN R130, UN R131, UN R152, UN R155, UN R156, UN R157, UN R171, UN R175, and UN R178 by adding definitions referencing Consolidated Resolution R.E.3 Annex 7, requiring manufacturers to provide Technical Services with information on hardware and software influencing performance, permitting vehicle manufacturers to apply for new approvals differentiating software versions for registered versus new vehicles, clarifying that production discontinuation does not apply when manufacturers seek approval extensions for software updates of registered vehicles, and amending communication forms to include software identification numbers and related information.

Proposal to amend UN R155 regarding cyber security assessment and approval procedures:

• Amend para. 5.3.2. to require approval authorities to notify other approval authorities of methods and criteria used to assess measures taken in accordance with the Regulation
• Insert new para. 8.2. to exclude equipment with negligible intrinsic cyber security risk from further assessment where installation does not impinge on the cyber security management system and is connected exclusively via an approved interface
• Insert new para. 8.3. to exclude standard domestic, business or industrial equipment connected only for power from further assessment where the equipment is unmodified and complies with applicable regional and national cyber security requirements
• Amend Annex 1 to include any equipment excluded from assessment pursuant to paras. 8.2. and 8.3.

Proposal to insert new Part C providing guidance on application of UN R155 to transformed vehicles. Part C defines when transformations require new approval, establishes terminology for original vehicle types, transformed vehicle types, transformations, and installations, identifies cyber-relevant transformations by evaluating impact on architecture and connection risks, addresses intrinsic cyber security risks, clarifies non-automotive equipment requirements, and specifies documentary evidence manufacturers must provide to approval authorities or technical services, including functional descriptions, connection details, software modifications, and component lists.

Proposal to insert a new para. 0 introducing amendments for vehicles equipped with an Automated Driving System, amend para. 1 to apply the Regulation to vehicles of categories M₁ and N₁ with specified exemptions and provisions for categories X and Y, amend the footnote to para. 1, amend para. 2.8 defining bonnet rear reference line with extended procedures for vehicles of category Y, amend para. 2.22 to include automated driving sensors in front structure for categories X and Y, amend para. 2.27 regarding mass in running order, amend para. 2.29 on normal ride attitude for categories X and Y, amend para. 2.32 on side reference line for category Y, amend para. 2.44 on windscreen test area for category Y without windscreen, amend para. 2.45 on cowl monitoring area, and amend para. 5.3.1.2 on Adaptive Ride Height Suspension engagement at low speeds.

UN R127 amendment proposals include defining pedestrian protection requirements for category Y vehicles. Scope exemptions for category Y vehicles shall use front structural geometry to determine exemptions, ensuring equivalence to R-point criteria. Definitions require adjustments including Bonnet Rear Reference Line for vehicles without windscreens, Front structure definition to include automated driving sensors, Windscreen test area redefined as Upper structure test area where windscreens are non-existent, and supporting definitions for Side reference line and Cowl monitoring area. Testing shall occur at Unladen Vehicle Mass.

The 22nd session of the Task Force on Automated Vehicle Regulation Screening is scheduled for 20 May 2026 from 09:00 to 11:00 (CET) as an online meeting. The agenda includes welcome and opening remarks, adoption of the agenda and report of the 21st session, feedback and remarks from WP.29 expert groups on regulatory fitness for automated driving systems, determination of next meeting(s), and adjournment.

TF-AVRS submitted a draft new Y-category Passive Safety Regulation to GRSP-79 in June 2026. The regulation addresses fuel system integrity, electrical shock protection, and crash compatibility for frontal, rear-end, and lateral collisions. The Task Force eliminated the R point problem, passenger compartment references, and A and B pillar designations, harmonised mass definitions, and consolidated numbering and cross-references. Open items include determining additional requirements, specific vehicle measurements, and finalising Annex elements. Subsequent informal documents are planned for GRSP-79, with working documents for GRSP-80.

The 25th session of the GRSP Task Force on Automated Vehicles Regulatory Screening (AVRS) was held online on 28 April 2026. The Task Force discussed regulatory frameworks for Y-category vehicles, including mass compatibility and crash test exceptions, and reviewed UN Regulation 127 on pedestrian protection for Y-category vehicles. The Task Force also addressed UN Regulation 12 feedback and identified minor mistakes in three proposals: ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2026/63, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2026/65, and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2026/71, which require corrections before submission to WP.29.

The Informal Working Group on Cyber Security and Software Updates discussed amendments to UN R155 and UN R156 for multi-stage approval, including simplified handling for low-risk devices and clarification of intrinsic cyber risk assessment. The group reviewed proposals from GRVA-25-31 and GRVA-25-32 concerning continued validity of approvals and Certificate of Compliance issuance. A Sub-Working Group was established to develop component and separate technical unit approval concepts. Pending discussion include RXSWIN application to components, STUs, and the extent of application to UN R155 and UN R156, and type-approval numbering for software updates.

China supports establishing a new task force or informal working group on vehicle data security and sees the need for a dedicated UN Regulation or Global Technical Regulation. Work can begin with applicability analysis of existing regulations, gradually establishing the main framework of the standard, the scope of data management, and handling of special cases. China is ready to act as a key contributor, offering typical use cases, design questionnaires based on GB 44497 and GB 44464, delivering terms of reference with other Contracting Parties, and proposing basic framework and specific requirements by February 2028.

Proposal to remove para. 5.2.1.2. titled “Emergency braking” and delete the corresponding justification text “Update to paragraph 5.2.1.2.” At the January 2026 GRVA, it was agreed not to proceed with an amendment proposed to para. 5.2.1.2. The current proposal GRVA/2026/21 does not reflect the discussions from the previous session of GRVA.

Proposal to amend para. 3.5.1. of Annex 4 to require the manufacturer to demonstrate to the approval authority that effective processes, methodologies and tools are in place, up to date and being followed within the organization to manage the safety and continued compliance throughout the product lifecycle, and to demonstrate to the approval authority at least every three years that the safety management system continues to comply with these requirements.

Proposal to delete the draft “Reserved” paragraph 5.3.7.2.4.3. in GRVA/2026/18. Reserving paragraph 5.3.7.2.4.3. in the 01 series would mean that the subsequent paragraphs would be out of line with the numbering in the 02 series, making future amendments to UN R171 unnecessarily challenging.

Proposal to amend the original version (GRVA/2026/15), insert para. 5.3.7.2.1.13. to require the manufacturer to describe in the safety concept the system behaviour in case the driver is detected to be disengaged during a manoeuvre; amend the original version and the 01 series (GRVA/2026/15 and GRVA/2026/17), amend para. 3.5.1. of Annex 3 to require the manufacturer to demonstrate to the Type Approval Authority at least every three years that the safety management system continues to comply with requirements; amend the 01 and 02 series (GRVA/2026/17 and WP.29/2026/86), amend para. 2.3.2. of Appendix 2 of Annex 3; amend the 02 series (WP.29/2026/86), amend para. 4.2.5.2.19.2.1. of Annex 4; and amend the original version, 01 series and 02 series (GRVA/2026/15, GRVA/2026/17 and WP.29/2026/86), amend para. 4.2.5.2.14.1.2. of Annex 4 and para. 4.2.5.2.14.2.1. of Annex 4.

Proposal to amend WP.29/2026/139 to amend para. 4.2.2.3.8.1. subparagraph (b) regarding user engagement to resume the DDT, insert new para. 5.2.1.8.1. requiring manufacturers to document simulation toolchain scope and limitations, amend para. 5.2.1.3.1. regarding manufacturer management of relevant data, amend para. 5.3.1.16. describing ADS responses to failure situations, amend para. 6.3.2.2.3. regarding scenario assessment, amend para. 6.3.3.3.1. regarding confirmatory track testing provisions, amend Annex 5 Tables 3, 4, and 5 regarding scenario specifications and risk manoeuvre conditions, and amend Annex 6 para. 5.3.1. and 5.3.2. regarding DSSAD recording requirements and intervals.

Proposal to amend ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2026/137 to replace placeholder text “[ADS]”, “[XXX]”, and “[number of this Regulation]” with the UN Regulation number upon adoption, amend the cross-reference in paragraph 1.2. to “7.2.3.17.”, amend paragraph 6.2.2.3.8.1. subparagraph (b) to specify gaze directed to “the” driving task relevant area, remove brackets around “7.4.” in paragraph 11.2., add a period after the number in Annex 1 paragraph 5.1., amend Annex 1 Appendix 1 paragraphs 1.4.5. and 1.4.7., renumber paragraphs 1.4.12., 1.4.12.1., and 1.4.12.2. as 1.4.11.5., 1.4.11.5.1., and 1.4.11.5.2., amend Annex 1 Appendix 2, amend Annex 7 table 5 rows 1 and 2 column 7, remove brackets in Annex 8 paragraphs 5.3.1. and 5.3.2., and insert “Mandatory” in Annex 8 table row 1 column 2.

Proposal to develop UN GTR for both assisted and automated parking. The document presents parking product classifications in China, including assisted parking (park-in/park-out, cruising capability, remote-control variants) and automated parking systems. Current UN Regulations lack specific technical requirements, test methods, and test scenarios for parking functions. China is developing national standards GB for parking combined driver assistance systems and automated parking systems, with approval expected by end of 2026 and early 2027 respectively. The proposal suggests establishing a Task Force to study applicability of current UN Regulations to parking products, then determining whether to establish an IWG or formulate new regulations.

The CS/OTA Task Force held its thirty-seventh session on 21-22 April 2026 by video conference. The group adopted the provisional agenda and minutes from the thirty-sixth session. Discussions addressed proposals for amendments to UN R155 concerning multi-stage vehicle approvals and separate technical units, for which a subworking group was established. Proposals were also considered on type approval authority responsibility for cyber security management systems and remote operation of automated driving systems. The group reviewed cyber and software requirements in the ADS GTR and WP.29/2022/60 as amended by WP.29/2023/87, and discussed application of RXSWIN to UN Regulations, selecting option 2 for presentation to GRVA with R155, R156, and R89 square bracketed. The IWG mandate renewal was discussed, with potential new items including component and STU approval and software numbering proposals.

The document requests guidance on the legal basis for provisions within UN Regulations extending beyond the End-of-Production date and which authority such provisions address. Examples include UN R171 requirements for manufacturers to demonstrate safety management systems to the Type Approval Authority every three years and report annually on Driven Coded Auxiliary System operation until production is discontinued, and UN R155 requirements for Cyber Security Management Systems to apply to the post-production phase when vehicles remain operational but are no longer produced. The document poses an additional question regarding vehicle safety when manufacturers cease operations and cannot fulfill post-deployment safety provisions.

The AEBS IWG held its initial meeting virtually on 22 April with about 50 attendees. Co-Chairs are Germany and Japan; Co-Secretaries are CLEPA and SAE. The IWG is requesting minor changes to its Terms of Reference. A schedule of meetings is planned from September 2026 through September 2028, including informal meetings for input from contracting parties and industry, discussion of requirements for speed reduction in nominal conditions, and investigation of false positives, with a draft regulation document planned for January 2028 and formal submission planned for September 2028.

Proposal to revise the terms of reference and rules of procedures for the Informal Working Group on Advanced Emergency Braking Systems. The IWG shall review current regulatory actions and data on Automated Emergency Braking Systems and provide recommendations on future regulatory actions including revisions to UN Regulation No. 152. The IWG shall examine current AEBS regulations worldwide, assess accident situations for passenger vehicles, draft state-of-the-art performance requirements for collision scenarios involving pedestrians at night, investigate regulatory improvements to performance requirements, and investigate feasibility to include updated requirements to avoid false activation of AEBS for light vehicles. The IWG shall deliver complete regulatory text for AEBS for passenger vehicle requirements as revision of UN Regulation No. 152 for the September 2028 session of GRVA at the latest.

For the purposes of type approval under any UN Regulation requiring the verification of the timing of a system intervention, manufacturers shall provide to the approval authority or its designated technical service information on the method by which the initiation of any system intervention can be objectively identified and retrieved, including specific flags, status bits, event codes on in-vehicle networks, or visual indications on screens; clear instructions and all necessary tools for the Technical Service to extract, access and interpret the signal identifying the initiation; documented procedures including corresponding data sources, resolution, and timing accuracy appended to the type approval test report; and, where a visual indication displayed on a screen is used, documented latency between the earliest internal point at which the system initiates the function and the moment the visual indication becomes visible on the screen, expressed as a fixed value with associated uncertainty, with the documented latency value used to correct the observed timing of the screen indication appended to the type approval test report.

Proposal to amend GRVA/2026/14 and GRVA/2026/18: insert new paragraph 2.28.1. defining “Highway-like road” as a non-highway section with at least two lanes, designated speed limit of at least 80 km/h, no prohibition of pedestrians and cyclists, physical separation dividing opposite traffic, and no at-grade marked pedestrian crossings, rail crossings, or road intersections; amend paragraphs 5.3.7.2.3.1. and 5.5.4.2.6.5. to address highway-like road operation and withholding of HORs; insert new paragraph 4.2.5.2.16. to Annex 4. specifying testing for longitudinally moving bicycle targets; amend Annex 1. to add items 6.4. and 6.4.1. regarding withholding of HORs; and insert new paragraph 16.2.3. establishing that as from 1 September 2029 Contracting Parties shall not be obliged to accept type approvals issued to the preceding series of amendments for systems capable of withholding HORs on highway-like roads.