Xpeng showroom in Beijing showing the P7 electric sedan.
Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images
SHANGHAI — Chinese electric car company Xpeng announced on Friday that it will roll out its latest assisted-driving software to users in the metropolis of Shanghai, something that its American rival Tesla does not offer in China.
Previously, the technology was only available to Xpeng drivers in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The company already offers assisted driving on highways in China.
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The new technology, which is called XNGPclaims to make driving easier with software that helps with smooth braking at traffic lights, turning at intersections and other tasks on city streets.
US-listed Xpeng lags behind major Chinese electric car startups in recent monthly shipments. But the company has tried to make its assisted-driving technology a selling point for consumers.
“Tesla doesn’t really pump Autopilot in China and they don’t offer Full Self Driving (FSD) in China, while Xpeng really leaned into their NGP as a differentiator for the Chinese market,” said Tu Le, Beijing’s founder. based advisory agency Sino Auto Insights.
Tesla’s Autopilot helps when driving on highways, while FSD helps with braking at traffic lights and stop signs in urban areas.
Xpeng head of autonomous driving and vice president Xinzhou Wu told reporters on Friday that he is a user of Tesla’s FSD in the US
He claimed that “many details” of Xpeng’s product were on par with FSD. He and his team also highlighted how they were systematically testing the assisted driving software for the upcoming launch in 100 Chinese cities.
The company said its technology can also assist with driving without using the high-precision maps common in the industry. It was not immediately clear what the coverage of such technology was at this time.
Xpeng will unveil a new car model at the Shanghai Auto Show in mid-April.