Why wait? China should skip a step in self-driving cars, Xpeng founder and CEO says

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Themis Qi,Zhu WenqianMarch 2, 2026 at 12:33 PM

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He Xiaopeng, founder and CEO of Xpeng, has proposed that China skip an intermediate step in self-driving cars and move directly to a more advanced version of autonomous capabilities. He plans to submit this proposal to China's lawmakers during the upcoming "two sessions" legislative meetings, which begin on Wednesday. The proposal aims to accelerate the development of Level 4 (L4) autonomous capabilities, allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road. Currently, most carmakers are applying L2 technology in mass-produced vehicles and eyeing L3 capabilities. He Xiaopeng's company has introduced an upgraded autonomous driving technology, Vision Language Action (VLA), which aims to reach L4 capabilities. The proposal seeks to adjust regulations and policies faster to support this advancement.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

SAE International 40% Guangzhou 50% Beijing 60% National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference 60% National People's Congress (NPC) ×270% Xpeng ×280% He Xiaopeng ×390% China ×390%

Keywords

autonomous driving 90% level 4 autonomy 80% sae international 70% xpeng 60% autonomous capabilities 50% china 50%

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South China Morning Post

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autonomous driving level 4 autonomy sae international xpeng autonomous capabilities china

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