<div id="readability-page-1"><blockquote><ul><li>Xpeng CEO gave Tesla's FSD V14.2 high praise, saying it has reached a near-Level 4 of reassuring experience.</li><li>Xpeng aims for its VLA system to achieve the performance of FSD V14.2 within China by August 30, 2026.</li></ul></blockquote><figure id="attachment_133360"><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025121108464536.jpg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="1600" height="900" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025121108464536.jpg"/><figcaption id="caption-attachment-133360">(File photo shows an Xpeng P7i. Image credit: CnEVPost)</figcaption></figure><p>He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV), personally experienced Tesla's (NASDAQ: TSLA) FSD (Full Self-Driving) in Silicon Valley last June and offered high praise.</p><p>Now, over a year later, he revisited Silicon Valley to experience the latest FSD software and shared his observations.</p><p>Overall, FSD has evolved from the smooth L2 advanced driver assistance experience over a year ago to a near-Level 4 of reassuring performance, Mr. He wrote on Weibo today.</p>    <div>        <p><span>Join us on </span>            Telegram            <span> or </span>            Google News        </p>    </div><p>The Xpeng CEO test-drove a Tesla vehicle equipped with the latest FSD V14.2 software and a Tesla robotaxi on Wednesday.</p><p>During about five hours of driving in Silicon Valley and San Francisco, both the standard vehicle and the robotaxi -- sharing the same software model -- performed consistently, offering a reassuringly smooth ride, Mr. He said.</p><p>&#34;While imperfections exist, the system significantly surpasses last year's capabilities. Our colleagues will share videos later,&#34; he wrote on Weibo.</p><p>Mr. He said that this test drive further solidified his belief that sharing the same autonomous driving system and hardware architecture between private vehicles and robotaxis is the correct approach.</p><p>&#34;Everyone can skip the L3 smart driving stage and directly enjoy a vehicle with L4 capabilities,&#34; he said.</p><p>Xpeng is the Chinese company most akin to Tesla, possessing strong smart driving capabilities while also developing robotaxis.</p><p>At last month's 2025 AI Day event, the company announced plans to launch three robotaxi models in 2026 and commence trial operations for the service.</p><p>Xpeng will release its latest VLA 2.0 smart driving software next quarter. Due to time constraints, the initial version won't yet match the full capabilities of the current FSD V14.2, Mr. He noted.</p><p>Mr. He made a bet with XPeng's autonomous 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 setting up a Chinese-style cafeteria for the Silicon Valley team.</p><p>Should the target remain unmet, Liu Xianming, head of Xpeng's autonomous driving team, has pledged to run naked across the Golden Gate Bridge, He added.</p><p>Liu, with expertise in AI, formally took over as head of Xpeng's autonomous driving center in October, succeeding Li Liyun.</p><p>In late June 2024, Mr. He experienced both FSD V12.3.6 and a Waymo vehicle in California.</p><p>Waymo performed better in San Francisco's urban areas, while FSD excelled in Silicon Valley and on highways, achieving high scores with smooth handling of diverse road conditions, he noted at the time.</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025121108463866.jpg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="1080" height="1440" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025121108463866.jpg"/></p>    <div>        <div>            <p><img width="768" height="406" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024062708323569-768x406.jpg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdn.cnevpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024062708323569-768x406.jpg"/>                            </p>        </div>        <div>            <p>China's 300 million e-scooters to be major challenge for Tesla FSD, says Xpeng exec</p>            <p>In central Guangzhou, for example, about 30 percent of roads don't have bike lanes, and e-scooters need to use the same roads as motor vehicles.</p>                    </div>    </div>                                                                                    </div>

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<p>Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng praised Tesla's FSD V14.2, noting its near-Level 4 performance. He aims for Xpeng's VLA system to match this by August 2026. He experienced Tesla's FSD in Silicon Valley, highlighting its evolution and consistent performance. Xpeng plans to launch robotaxi models in 2026. A bet was made with Xpeng's team regarding achieving FSD-like performance in China by 2026.</p>

- Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng praised Tesla's FSD V14.2 for achieving near-Level 4 performance after testing it in Silicon Valley.  
- Xpeng aims for its VLA system to match this performance in China by August 30, 2026, and plans to launch three robotaxi models in 2026.  
- He made a bet with his team regarding the performance target, highlighting the competitive landscape in autonomous driving technology.

Xpeng CEO revisits Tesla FSD in Silicon Valley 1 year later, here's his take