AUTOMOTIVE NEWS ILLUSTRATION Volkswagen tests a Level 4 autonomous system, top. The automaker is bolstering its plans for the autonomous space, including an eventual robotaxi based on the ID Buzz, middle, and the Trinity, bottom, which will have a neural network capable of learning. Volkswagen Group's ambitions in highly automated and autonomous vehicles have been cooled by setbacks. Those included premium subsidiary Audi abandoning plans to turn on Level 3 conditional autonomy in the A8 flagship sedan and the group's inability to create a standard for the technology together with partners. In addition, rivals such as Tesla, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are pressing ahead with much greater speed than Europe's largest automaker.