Xpeng secures L3 autonomous driving road test permits in Guangzhou

• Xpeng has obtained L3 autonomous driving road test permits in Guangzhou and commenced routine road testing.
• China yesterday issued its first L3 autonomous driving permits for regular passenger vehicles, marking a significant regulatory update.

Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV, HKG: 9868) has secured L3 autonomous driving road test permits in its headquarters city of Guangzhou and initiated regular road testing, local media outlet Yicai reported today.

The permits primarily authorize conditional autonomous driving tests on designated routes within Guangzhou, the report noted.

Xpeng vice president Yu Tao subsequently confirmed the report, saying he looks forward to surprises in the first quarter of next year.

Yesterday, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced approval for two L3 autonomous driving models — one from Changan Automobile (SHE: 000625) and another from Arcfox, the electric vehicle (EV) division of Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC Group).

This marks China’s first issuance of L3 autonomous driving permits for conventional passenger vehicles, signifying a major regulatory update. The Changan Deepal SL03 and Arcfox Alpha S sedan are now authorized for public testing on designated roads.

Earlier today, another domestic outlet Cailian reported that Huawei’s HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) business recently worked with transportation authorities to launch internal testing of L3 conditional autonomous driving in Shenzhen.

Xpeng is regarded as one of China’s most advanced EV makers in smart driving capabilities. At last month’s 2025 AI Day event, it officially unveiled its VLA 2.0 system with L4 capabilities, slated for deployment beginning in the first quarter 2026.

Earlier this month, Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng visited Silicon Valley to experience Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) latest FSD (Full Self-Driving) software — his second visit since June last year.

The Xpeng CEO noted that FSD has evolved from the smooth L2 advanced driving assistance experience over a year ago to a reassuring near-L4 experience.

Xpeng will launch VLA 2.0 next quarter, and due to time constraints, the initial version cannot yet match the full capabilities of the current FSD V14.2, Mr. He said on December 11.

Mr. He made a bet with XPeng’s smart driving team: if by August 30, 2026, the company’s VLA software achieves the same performance in China as FSD V14.2 does in Silicon Valley, he will approve the establishment of a Chinese-style cafeteria for the Silicon Valley team.