News info: Electric car maker Xpeng has announced the launch of new Autopilot navigation software, challenging US carmaker Tesla and its current position as the global leader in electric vehicles.
A new piloting system called City NGP, or Navigation Guided Pilot, allows vehicles to steer with minimal driver assistance. The launch was seen as a bold statement from the Chinese startup.
According to CNBC: The company said in a statement that this new feature is designed specifically for urban settings. Opens the door to a "full range of driving functions" that will revolutionize city driving.
City NGP gives a car the ability to change lanes on its own, maneuver around obstacles and maintain a safe distance from other cars on the road.
Xpeng engineers were inspired to create a navigation system for cities. which will help drivers navigate everyday situations such as pedestrians, traffic, potholes and accident scenes.
This feature is currently being tested in some of the company's P5 electric sedans. which was introduced last year near the company's headquarters in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
The magic of the new navigation system is found in light detection technology and lasers that create a 3D representation of the environment that the car uses to navigate itself.
Xpeng first announced City NGP last year with the launch of the Xpilot 3.5 navigation system. That gave drivers a little more freedom but still required full attention to the wheel.
Xpeng's new self-driving feature will change that, and its release comes hot on the heels of Tesla's fully self-driving beta system. Which revealed some technical glitches in recent testing among US drivers.
Company vice president Charles Zhang said the new City NGP software brings the driving experience "one step closer to full autonomy."
The race for fully autonomous driving has become extremely competitive and is one of the most important aspects driving electric vehicle sales.
Xpeng is the same company that introduced an electric flying vehicle at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition two years ago.
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