Xpeng G6.
Comparison G6 vs model y:
They are almost the same size dimension wise. Xpeng has a egg shaped steering wheel similar to Chrysler cars in the late 1950’s, early 1960’s.
The autonomous driving works well when it was on. The review had trouble with it dropping out of that mode. He figured out it was related to how much pressure he had on the steering wheel. For example the vehicle was going to do a lane change but the driver grip was too firm so it dropped out of autonomous mode. Is this a major defect? Or is it a learning curve a driver has to master?
The G6 has 800v architecture so it charges faster. It also has 469 mile range.
The G6 has a softer ride but not a floaty ride compared to the Tesla Y.
Last fall Xpeng has begun shipping to the EU market space.
It is Xpeng’s most popular model.
When the G6 was introduced in summer of 2023 it had a price range $28k to $38K. Much cheaper than the model Y pricing at that time.
As you can see, XPeng has really hit a sweet spot in pricing, as even its top-tier trim of the G6 SUV converts to well under $40,000. For comparison, the Tesla Model Y starts at RMB 263,900 ($36,385) and goes as high as RMB 363,900 ($50,175) for the performance edition.
A buyer can pick up a base model G6 for a smidge under $25K now in China.
The article below is about China EV makers autonomous driving journey.
Li, NIO, & Xpeng are developing autonomous systems. They are Utilizing Lidar sensors and cameras.
Their systems appear to be close if not on par Tesla’s system.
But there are differences between cities on the viability of the systems.
Two-wheeled traffic in Guangzhou in general seemed to present a challenge for the system. Unlike in Shanghai, the roads of Guangzhou do not have good separation between cars, bicycles and mopeds. At the best of times in China these road users are unpredictable, usually paying scant regard for traffic lights, road regulations, or their own safety. With the absence of dedicated or segregated lanes for them, XNGP seemed to struggle. But this was last year, of course, and the system may well have been significantly improved since then.
I suspect Tesla’s system might very well have the same difficulty operating in Guangzhou. It seems to me that standardization of traffic lanes needs to be implemented for autonomous system to have the ability to work perfectly. And how much cost to a nation will that be?
And does this mean the Robotaxi will be a non starter because of this problem?