BEIJING, June 4 (Reuters) - China has given approval to

a first group of companies to carry out trials of level 3 and

level 4 autonomous driving on public roads, the industry

ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Among the firms that had voluntarily filed for the trials

and gained approval from local governments and regulators are

Changan Automobile, BYD , GAC

, SAIC, FAW and Nio.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom)