Xpeng’s Tesla FSD rival arrives in Europe for test drives. I tried NGP for 30 minutes in chaotic Paris traffic

Xpeng's NGP VLA 2.0 system, which relies primarily on cameras but also integrates radar and ultrasonic sensors, demonstrated its ability to handle varied urban scenarios in Paris. The system performed well with cycling lanes, two-wheelers, and pedestrians, notably stopping for a family approaching a zebra crossing as expected in EU regulations, which differ from Chinese real-world scenarios.

The 30-minute supervised test drives highlighted the system's confidence in navigating complex situations like vehicles blocking lanes and interacting with trucks. While the overall adaptation to European traffic signs and rules was assessed as high quality, areas for improvement were noted, particularly in lane-change decision-making and merging into traffic. Interventions by the safety driver were reported to be more precautionary than strictly necessary.

This European test event, building on smaller previous trials in Amsterdam and Munich, suggests Xpeng's growing confidence in its intelligent driving technology's adaptability beyond its home market. The consistency of NGP's performance in Paris compared to its behavior in Beijing, where the VLA 2.0 model was described as mature, indicates a coherent development approach despite differing regional traffic characteristics.