Xpeng CEO Announces Goal to Outperform Tesla's FSD in China by August
Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng has announced a goal to outperform Tesla's Full Self-Driving system in China by August. The statement came from CEO He Xiaopeng during a media briefing at Auto China 2026 in Beijing. This move underscores competition in China's vast auto market amid phasing out of EV subsidies.
South China Morning PostXpeng, a Chinese electric vehicle start-up, has set a goal to surpass Tesla’s self-driving capabilities in China by August, according to co-founder, chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng. He made the announcement at a media briefing on Friday during Auto China 2026, the 10-day Beijing International Automotive Exhibition that runs through May 3.
“We’ve set ourselves a goal: to fully outperform Tesla’s FSD in the Chinese market by August,” He said.
He added that Xpeng’s Vision Language Action (VLA) system outperformed Tesla in certain complex driving scenarios. “China’s driving environment is more complex. If we can surpass it here, our overall capability should be stronger,” He stated, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
Tesla, a US carmaker, has yet to receive approval for the full version of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China. The target comes amid an intensifying technology race in China, the world’s largest car market, where manufacturers are leaning on advanced software for growth as government subsidies for electric vehicles are being phased out, the South China Morning Post reported.
