While it is difficult to rank the advancements in autonomous vehicle technology in a definitive top 10 order, here are ten significant advancements that have been made in autonomous vehicle technology in the year 2021:

1. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta: Tesla released a highly anticipated beta version of their full self-driving software, which showcased advanced autonomous capabilities.

2. Waymo’s Driverless Taxi Service: Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., introduced a fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the public in selected areas of Arizona.

3. Cruise’s Deployment Plans: Cruise, a company backed by General Motors and other investors, announced plans for a commercial autonomous vehicle service in Dubai starting in 2023.

4. Mobileye’s Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS): Mobileye, an Intel subsidiary, unveiled their new EyeQ5 chip, which offers advanced ADAS features, including better autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian and cyclist detection.

5. NVIDIA’s DRIVE Orin: NVIDIA introduced their DRIVE Orin platform, a powerful system-on-a-chip (SoC) designed specifically for autonomous vehicles, capable of processing vast amounts of data for advanced autonomous driving functions.

6. Robotaxis in China: Various Chinese companies, including Baidu’s Apollo, have made significant progress in deploying robotaxi services in multiple cities across China.

7. Mercedes-Benz EQS: Mercedes-Benz launched their electric EQS sedan, equipped with advanced autonomous driving features including Level 3 autonomous driving capability on selected models.

8. Ford’s BlueCruise: Ford introduced BlueCruise, an advanced hands-free driving system for certain supported vehicles, offering a combination of adaptive cruise control and lane centering technologies.

9. BMW’s iX: BMW unveiled their fully electric iX SUV, featuring an advanced autonomous driving system capable of several levels of automation.

10. Amazon’s Acquisition of Zoox: Amazon acquired Zoox, an autonomous vehicle company focused on developing robo-taxis, further solidifying their commitment to autonomous vehicle technology research and development.

These advancements demonstrate the ongoing progress in various aspects of autonomous vehicle technology, with different companies pushing the boundaries in different areas.