Electric automaker Xpeng launches driverless features to compete with Tesla

GUANGZHOU, China – Chinese automaker Xpeng Motors announced new autonomous driving feature designed to operate on highways, as it meets its challenge to its domestic rivals as well as Tesla.

The feature – called Navigation Guided Pilot or NGP – will allow the company’s flagship P7 sedan to automatically change lanes, accelerate or slow down, or overtake cars and enter and exit freeways.

It is part of the next generation of XPILOT 3.0 from Xpeng, the so-called Advanced Driver Assistance system (ADAS) that the company plans to launch in the first quarter of this year. ADAS refers to a system with some stand-alone functionality but where a driver is still required.

Xpeng is one of China’s electric vehicle start-ups looking to take a lead in the country’s growing market as it takes on other upstarts such as Nio and Li Auto, as well as the U.S. Tesla electric cars.

Mass deliveries of Xpeng’s P7 sedan, a direct rival to Tesla’s Model 3, began last June. Xpeng delivered 27,041 vehicles in 2020, more than double from a year ago.

The NGP is a challenge for Tesla’s autonomous ADAS called Autopilot. One of the features of Autopilot is called Navigating on Autopilot, which has functions similar to Xpeng’s NGP.

Chinese electric vehicle companies are looking to add more autonomous features to their cars. Nio has its own system called NIO Pilot.

A driver will need to watch a safety video before they can activate the Xpeng’s highway driving feature. Drivers should keep their hands on the wheel while using the vehicle’s autonomous driving functions.

Users then enter their destination on the map. The car will then start to perform some of the functions such as changing lanes on its own.

Drivers receive a warning when they need to take manual control of the car, for example, in inclement weather conditions or a traffic accident.

Xpeng says its cars are equipped with 14 cameras and other critical sensors. Nvidia’s Xavier computer system powers XPILOT 3.0.

The highway driving feature will be available on the premium version of the P7 and only available to customers in China.