Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Robotaxi is on track to be one of the top words of the year in the automotive industry. Over the past five weeks, the hypercar brand Rimac unveiled its 2026 robotaxi, Verne.
Earlier this week, Tesla confirmed the unveiling event of its Cybercab model on October 10 and earlier today, the CEO of the Chinese EV maker XPeng has announced that the brand will also launch a robotaxi model by 2026.
Xiaopeng He, the CEO of the Guangzhou-based manufacturer, wrote on LinkedIn on Friday that the company will “follow a set pace and launch a highly competitive robotaxi in 2026.”
Additionally, the chief executive mentioned the differences between Tesla’s approach as XPeng ditches LiDAR to focus on pure vision and 3D millimeter wave-radars.
“This year’s FSD is completely different in capability from Tesla’s previous autopilot systems. Recently, I’ve talked with several experts in the autonomous driving field about end-to-end solutions,” He Xiaopeng stated.
“They all believe that end-to-end is the best route for L2 or L3, but it is definitely not the preferred option for L4. However, I genuinely think that end-to-end and large models will eventually reach L4,” he added.
NEVER MISS AN UPDATE
The CEO said that XPeng “will not get involved in operations” hinting that the company will work with partners and with the data they have been collecting.
“Regarding Robotaxi, Tesla aims to handle everything from the vehicle to operations, which differs from our approach. XPeng’s Robotaxi will follow a set pace and launch a highly competitive Robotaxi in 2026. Moreover, we will not get involved in operations, but will work with our beloved partners to drive this revolution,” He stated.
Next week, on August 1, the company will host the XPeng Smart AI Technology Press Conference where He Xiaopeng will “share more information in detail”.
A few days after having officially unveiled the first model of its new, cheaper MONA series, XPeng is gearing up to launch the P7+, its biggest and most advanced sedan.
Codenamed (until now) F57, the new sedan P7+ exceeds 5 meters with the “+” representing XPeng’s latest technology and larger size. Although the price is still unknown, it is expected to be higher than the P7 sedan given its larger size and better technology.
The company delivered of 10,668 electric vehicles in June, representing a 24 percent increase year-over-year. Despite not providing the breakdown of monthly sales per model, the company said its three-row MPV X9 has accounted for 1,687 units.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
