Automatic cars were a big step forward for daily drivers, but this “driverless” car will be the next stage. There will be something in control of the car, just not a human or software, like Alphabet’s Waymo or Tesla’s self-driving car. China is pushing for something never seen in the car manufacturing industry, and this could be the turning point for artificial intelligence making its way into cars to not only assist, but drive instead of the person in charge, taking driving responsibility out of human hands.
New frontier in the market soon: Artificial intelligence to take driving away from humans
Electric cars are trending. Combustion engines are set to stop being developed. Hybrid vehicles are gaining in the market. But China never plays by the rules. The nation’s top-tier manufacturers are always innovating, and even before launching their latest models, there is always a group of engineers working on the next big thing. The industry thought it would be hydrogen, but it’s a different type of fuel: electric.
If automation wasn’t enough, AI might be. AI would go beyond automation by taking control of every aspect of the car. A leading Chinese EV company is working on an advanced AI chip – reportedly packed with the most powerful chip Nvidia ever created, the Orion-X. These vehicles are set to begin mass production in a couple of months, and can handle Level 3 autonomy – meaning they can handle almost every aspect of driving.
Tesla’s main competitor has news: Xpeng revealed the next generation of driverless cars
Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng is moving deeper into self-driving technology with a new chip of its own. Called the Turing chip, it’s expected to debut this quarter in the company’s updated P7+, replacing reliance on third-party processors. Xpeng says the chip is even more capable than Nvidia’s Drive Orin X, and it will eventually be fitted across its full lineup. CEO He Xiaopeng also hinted that it could extend beyond cars, powering projects like flying vehicles and robotics being developed by related companies.
The P7+ represents a reset in Xpeng’s strategy. Instead of costly Lidar systems, the car uses a combination of cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and millimeter-wave radars. According to the company, this hardware — paired with its new AI stack — allows both trims of the P7+ to deliver the same advanced driver assistance that previous Lidar-based models offered, but at no added cost to the buyer.
AI cars need work: Humans will train them to do the job
Company executives frame the P7+ as the first vehicle “defined by AI.” While the slogan is open to interpretation, the technology is clear enough: its AI models are trained on data from human drivers to plan routes and react in urban conditions. Candice Yuan, who oversees autonomous driving products at Xpeng – the company responsible for creating flying-cars technology as well – explained that the system relies on vision-based inputs rather than Lidar. Since road layouts and traffic signs are designed for human eyes, she argued, cameras are a more natural fit.
Test drive results: Needs more work before launching, just like Tesla’s project
In practice, WIRED’s test drive in Guangzhou — a city that previously exposed weaknesses in Xpeng’s older systems — showed some real gains. The Turing-based setup handled obstacles in the lane more effectively and drove with a smoother, more human-like rhythm. Still, the software isn’t flawless.
Testers noted occasional misjudgments, like switching into slower lanes unnecessarily or crossing lanes without signaling, issues that recall problems Tesla once faced in its early trials. Xpeng’s new camera-only system now works in a way that closely resembles Tesla’s Full Self-Driving: both rely on models trained end-to-end using real-world driving data.
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