An executive at Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) has refuted claims that the company is planning to reintroduce LiDAR technology into its vehicles, following a report that sparked speculation earlier today.
A screenshot shared by Xpeng vice president Yu Tao on Weibo revealed that the head of autonomous driving at the company, Li Liyun, dismissed the report as baseless and confirmed that LiDAR will not be reintegrated into Xpeng’s vehicles.
Earlier today, a WeChat account focused on technology, Zhiwei, quoted a source close to LiDAR manufacturer RoboSense suggesting that although Xpeng currently employs a pure vision autonomous driving system, there is a possibility of LiDAR being reinstated in the future due to the complexity of real-world driving scenarios.
According to the report, an insider at Xpeng mentioned that the company plans to utilize a pure vision approach during the L3 autonomous driving phase, but may consider incorporating LiDAR as a redundant measure in the L4 phase. Additionally, the report highlighted that Xpeng is contemplating product line integration in the latter half of the year, which could potentially lead to a reduction in production.
In response to the circulating misinformation, Yu cautioned in his Weibo post that any false information will be dealt with by Xpeng’s legal department and relevant authorities.
This development comes after CnEVPost initially reported in July 2024 that Xpeng would be discontinuing the use of LiDAR in its new model known as F57, opting for a pure vision solution akin to Tesla’s FSD. The P7+ sedan, launched on November 7, 2024, marked the first Xpeng model to be introduced without LiDAR after several years of incorporating the sensor.
Subsequently, Xpeng proceeded to exclude LiDAR from its updated G6 and G9 SUVs, as well as the updated X9 MPV. The Max variant of the Mona M03 launched in May this year and the new SUV G7 unveiled on July 3 also do not feature LiDAR technology in their autonomous driving systems.
It is evident that Xpeng remains committed to advancing its autonomous driving capabilities through a vision-based approach, while dispelling any rumors of a potential return to LiDAR technology in its future vehicle lineup.
