German automakers have spent years explaining that full-range driver assistance, stopping at red lights, handling unprotected turns, navigating dense urban traffic, is technically difficult and some distance away in Western markets. What Out of Spec Reviews found in Beijing is that Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes are already deploying a system that does all of that in China, through a local partner called Momenta. The test vehicle here is the Volkswagen ID Era 9X, a range-extended three-row SUV running a LiDAR sensor on the roof, and the drive goes through actual Beijing traffic: dense intersections, scooters, construction cones, and a U-turn at a complex junction. Host Kyle Conner had not driven Momenta before filming this. That comes through clearly.
The ID Era 9X received 10,000 orders on the day this video was filmed, which was also its Chinese sales launch day. The Momenta system uses radar, ultrasonics, cameras, and a 120-plus-line LiDAR sensor on the roof. The car also has rear-wheel steering, a crab-walk mode, and a dedicated compute zone for driver assistance applications. Software updates arrive over the air quarterly. In Western markets, Volkswagen's equivalent is Travel Assist, a highway lane-centering system that Conner and his co-host both describe as having no resemblance to Momenta. BMW uses Momenta for its China market vehicles as well. Mercedes is also among the partners. Separate from Momenta, Volkswagen Group has a cooperation with Horizon Robotics for other market configurations.
The drive itself is unscripted, with Conner keeping his hands off the wheel through highway merges, tollbooths, tight city corners, and several situations involving scooters and pedestrians crossing through active traffic. The system degrades gracefully when a scenario exceeds its confidence: at one complex intersection with pedestrians moving in multiple directions, it asked the driver to take over. In most situations it handles lane changes, speed adjustments, and turns without input. The driving character is assertive, which Conner contrasts with the Xpeng VALA 2.0 system, and says the Momenta tuning fits how traffic actually moves in Chinese cities. The comparison to Tesla FSD comes up repeatedly. His assessment is that it is at least comparable in capability, handling significantly more complex conditions than a typical US FSD run.
Bottom line: This video is uncomfortable viewing if you've been told to wait for full urban driver assistance to arrive. A system doing point-to-point navigation in production vehicles, under a Volkswagen badge, and Western buyers aren't getting it. The reasons are regulatory and commercial, not technical, and that distinction matters when you're evaluating how far behind the Western market actually is.