China is the world's largest new-car market, so it already holds considerable sway over the decisions of automakers. But when it comes to self-driving cars, China could be particularly important, Christian Senger, Volkswagen's head of electric mobility told journalists at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.

During a media roundtable, Senger said VW expects China to adopt new regulations that incentivize autonomous cars, according to TechCrunch. China currently offers subsidies for electric cars, but it could soon do the same for cars with specific levels of autonomy, Senger said.

"Right now you need to have [an] electric drivetrain, a minimum range, and local production and then you get subsidies," Senger said. "There are a lot of indicators that this will now change that also the level of automated driving is a required premise to get subsidies. So the future of our market success is also dependent on our self-driving abilities."