China EV war: Xpeng plans to upstage Tesla, local rivals with first full-scenario driver assistance tech system in 2023
- Xpeng plans to unveil its updated Xpilot 4.0 system in 2023, providing drivers with full-scenario support by then
- The Chinese EV maker ranked first in a JD Power survey in August of car owners on their experience with 42 in-vehicle technologies
The Guangzhou-based smart electric vehicle (EV) start-up is likely to be the world’s first company to offer point-to-point driver assistant functions from vehicle switch-on to parking with an updated version of its Xpilot system, according to some industry analysts.
“Our exploration of more efficient, safer, carbon-neutral mobility solutions goes far beyond just smart EVs,” he said at the company’s Tech Day virtual briefing. “It is the cornerstone of our long-term competitive advantages.”
Driver assistance system is a preliminary technology to autonomous driving, which typically uses algorithms to analyse real-time traffic data transmitted by on-board sensors. Environment-detection sensors can help a vehicle decide whether to pass a slow-moving car but still requires human intervention.
Founded in 2015, Xpeng is backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding which also owns the South China Morning Post and smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. It ranked No. 1 ahead of Tesla in an August survey by JD Power of car owners on their experience with 42 in-vehicle technologies.