Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng plans to roll out full-scenario Level 3 (L3) autonomous driving in the second half of 2025, marking a significant step in its smart driving technology strategy, Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said in an internal letter on Monday.
“I believe that L3 autonomous driving will drive AI cars into the ‘iPhone 4 era,'” He said, according to the letter obtained by CnEVPost. L3 autonomy allows vehicles to handle certain driving tasks without human intervention but requires drivers to take over when needed, raising regulatory and liability considerations.
He said Xpeng’s smart driving software helped many owners travel home during the recent Chinese New Year holiday, contributing to a shift in public perception of autonomous driving. “I believe large model-based AI will accelerate autonomous driving to a higher level,” he added.
The executive also highlighted the company’s efforts to expand globally, stating that Xpeng aims to sell vehicles in over 60 countries and regions by 2025. However, he acknowledged challenges in customer satisfaction abroad. “We also see a lot of problems, such as globalized NPS not performing well and so on, which we have to take seriously and do well from 2025,” he said, referring to Net Promoter Score, a measure of consumer loyalty.
