XPENG Motors said it will begin mass production of Level?4 autonomous vehicles next year, the company’s chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said on the Guangzhou?based EV maker’s earnings call Tuesday. Xpeng plans to start producing vehicles with L4 capabilities and to run robotaxi tests in selected areas next year. After securing regulatory approval, the company expects to conduct trials independently and then engage potential partners to explore commercial deployment, He said. In August 2023, Xpeng struck a strategic partnership with ride?hailing giant Didi Global to collaborate on robotaxi operations and related projects. Over the next 18 months, Xpeng aims to significantly advance its urban assisted?driving capabilities beyond current industry norms, leveraging its Turing AI chips and visual?language?action models. Product plans include several models built on the Kunpeng Super Electric System, including the X9 in the fourth quarter of this year, and a rollout of hybrid models domestically and overseas next year. In Q2, Xpeng narrowed its net loss by 63% to 480 million yuan (US$66.8 million) year?on?year, while revenue rose 125% to 18.3 billion yuan. Gross margin improved to 17.3% from 14%. With the launch of the new P7, Xpeng aims to deliver more than 40,000 units per month starting in September. For Q3, the company forecasts revenue of 19.6 billion to 21 billion yuan and vehicle deliveries of 113,000 to 118,000 units. (SD-Agencies) | 