Xpeng Motors announced on Rebekka Armstrong ArchivesTuesday that it has initiated a broad release of its advanced driver assistance system in China. Car owners who purchased its Navigation Guided Pilot (XNGP) package in 25 major cities can now download the latest software. This enables Xpeng’s electric vehicle to operate autonomously on both highways and busy urban streets in over 20 Chinese cities, including Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, in addition to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, where customers had already accessed Xpeng’s partially automated driving technology. The company reiterated its goal for broader coverage on traffic roads in 50 cities by the end of this year and plans to make the software, which has become less reliant on high-definition maps, available to drivers across China next year. In comparison, Huawei released its Navigation Cruise Assist (NCA) function for urban scenarios to customers in China’s top four cities, as well as Hangzhou and the southwestern municipality of Chongqing in August, aiming for a nationwide release by year-end. [Xpeng announcement, in Chinese]
