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XPeng actively working on robotic cars
XPeng, which is called a Chinese competitor to Tesla Corporation, has begun to develop cars that can fly. To this end, the company has created a special department that will be involved in the creation of such cars, as well as robots. According to XPeng founder He Xiaopeng, the project will include more than 200 specialists.
In the summer, the company presented a variant of the X2 flying car, which is already the second on the manufacturer’s bill. Unlike its predecessor, the new model is designed to transport passengers. All in all XPeng has been developing such vehicles for eight years and is not going to stop at what it has achieved. The company has set an ambitious goal to develop a vehicle that will take off and land vertically and be able to climb to low and medium altitudes. XPeng plans to begin taking orders for production of such vehicles next year.
It should be noted that the company Xiaopeng is not the only one who wants to lift the car into the sky. The Chinese concern Geely and Korean Hyundai are working on creation of similar flying vehicles. In addition, a company from Hong Kong, EHang, is engaged in passenger drones.
According to the founder of XPeng, in the next 10 years all automakers will switch to robotics, which is facilitated by the development of modern technology. We should be prepared that in some time, along with wheels, vehicles will have wings and a propeller. Therefore, even today XPeng considers robots as an integral part of progress and a full-fledged means of transport on a par with the car. Not so long ago, the company presented a robot that resembles a horse. It has four legs and can be ridden.
XPeng’s main competitor in the robotics field is Tesla. Ilon Musk stated that the manufacturer is actively working on the Tesla Bot robot.
In addition to producing flying vehicles, XPeng is involved in electric cars. Soon the company will start sales of its first sedan P5, which is equipped with autopilot. The manufacturer’s P7 model appeared on the market in Europe in the summer, which was the start of the company’s entry into the international arena.
XPeng plans to produce two to three new car models per year from 2023. The company is working to expand production of cars priced between $30,000 and $60,000. The least expensive electric car XPeng can buy for $23,000, which is the base model of the G3. In addition, soon the manufacturer plans to put on the market a car that seats seven people. The company is also improving its own semi-autonomous driving technology, XPilot. Experts have already praised the 3.0 version, which could become a worthy competitor for Tesla’s autopilot.