Xpeng recently unveiled the G9 at a mall in Beijing, drawing crowds of spectators. During the event, Xpeng Vice Chairman and Co-President Brian Gu made a statement that self-driving taxis are not expected to become a major business for at least the next five years. This prediction differs from Elon Musk’s vision of Tesla developing AI software for a robotaxi network.
Despite the allure of robotaxis for the future of transportation, Gu believes that launching a full-scale commercial operation will take longer than anticipated. He announced that Xpeng is not currently planning to introduce this service. The company, which is renowned for its electric vehicles, has established itself as a leader in driver-assist technology in the market.
Gu emphasized the importance of thorough testing before implementing any autonomous driving services. He pointed out that other Chinese tech companies like Baidu and Pony.ai have received approval in certain areas of China to operate fully driverless taxis and charge fares. These locations include Beijing and Wuhan, which are known as hubs for testing new technologies in autonomous driving.
