China's major train maker said Wednesday it is running a high-temperature test in Qatar on a vehicle developed for the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system.

The trackless vehicles with a self-driving system on a virtual orbit are described as a cross between a bus, train and tram, according to the developer, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. based in central China's Hunan Province.

Peng Zhonghong, leader of the vehicle development team, said they tested the vehicles on a 70-km stretch of road in Qatar in temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius when the tyre operating temperature went as high as 90 degrees Celsius.

The two-week test, carried out with the supervision of the third-party, will continue to July 24 in Qatar, said Peng.

The smart vehicle was independently developed by the company in June 2017. It has been in service in the train maker's host city of Zhuzhou, the city of Yongxiu in east China's Jiangxi Province and the city of Yibin in southwest China's Sichuan Province. Representatives from 20 cities around the world have visited the vehicle's operation sites to better understand its application.

In January, the vehicle passed a test in frigid conditions in Harbin, capital of China's northernmost province of Heilongjiang. Enditem