Chinese EV maker Xpeng Inc. XPEV on Thursday offered rival company’s CEO Elon Musk a test driver of its advanced driver assistance system on his next trip to China. The offer came on the heels of XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng testing Tesla Inc.’s TSLA full self-driving (FSD) driver assistance technology on his visit to the U.S.
What Happened: He Xiaopeng tested Tesla’s full self-driving software and Waymo’s autonomous driving technology earlier this week during his visit to the U.S. The CEO tried FSD’s 12.3.6 version but is also looking to try the newer 12.4.1 version, he said in a post on Weibo.
“The Chinese automakers are by far the most competitive,” Musk wrote in response to reports of the rival CEO trying FSD.
XPeng, seemingly unable to find the latest version of the FSD software for its CEO to try, has now requested Musk in person for a trial.
“Hey Elon, thanks for your comment. We are wondering if there’s any chance we could borrow a Tesla with FSD V12.4.1 in the near future?,” the company wrote from its official X account to Musk.
XPeng also offered a trial of its driver assistance system called XNGP (XPeng Navigation Guided Pilot) to Musk the next time he visits China. “By the way, we’d LOVE to offer you a test drive of our XNGP ADAS when you’re in China. Look forward to it,” the company wrote.
Why It Matters: Musk visited China earlier this year in April. Following reports of Musk crossing significant hurdles in introducing its FSD technology in China with a partnership with Beijing-based internet company Baidu Inc. during his visit in April, Xiaopeng welcomed the technology into China via a post on Linkedin.
"I genuinely welcome this development with open arms," Xiaopeng wrote on Linkedin. "Tesla, known for its robust autonomous driving technology and strong brand presence, helps set a high standard. The introduction of top-tier products and technologies like this not only enriches customer experiences but also drives the entire industry forward.”
While Tesla is trying to enable autonomous driving with its FSD, XPeng is attempting the same with XNGP. However, it is not known when FSD will eventually be introduced in China or XNGP in the U.S. to see the two compete directly with each other on the same roads.
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