The Xpeng showroom in Beijing shows off the P7 electric sedan.
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SHANGHAI — Chinese electric car company Xpeng announced Friday that it will roll out its latest driver-assistance software to consumers in the Shanghai metropolis, something its U.S. rival Tesla not available 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, called XNGP, claims to make driving easier with software that helps smoothly stop at traffic lights, turn at intersections and other tasks on city streets.
US-listed Xpeng has lagged 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 use Autopilot in China, and they don’t offer fully self-driving (FSD) in China, while Xpeng has really leaned on its NGP as a differentiator for the Chinese market,” said Tu Le, founder of Beijing-based consulting firm Sino Auto Insights.
Tesla’s Autopilot helps with highway driving, while FSD helps with 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 Tesla FSD user in the US
He claims that “many details” of Xpeng’s product are on par with FSD. He and his team also highlighted how they systematically tested the assisted driving software for an upcoming rollout in 100 Chinese cities.
The company said its technology can also help with driving without using the high-precision maps that are common in the industry. It was not immediately clear what coverage such technology currently has.
Xpeng will unveil a new model car at the Shanghai Auto Show in mid-April.