Chinese EV automaker XPeng confirmed that it has secured an L3 autonomous testing permit in Guangzhou, one of the first such permits in China.
They also released a video of their autonomous software navigating a police sobriety checkpoint without human intervention, showing that it can detect and respond to human hand signals.
XPeng has been one of the most aggressive companies in China regarding autonomous driving, often drawing direct comparisons to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) effort.
Earlier this year, we attended its 2025 Technology Day, where XPeng officially launched the VLA 2.0 model (Vision-Language-Action). The company says this software has L4-level capabilities and is scheduled for mass production and installation on vehicles as early as Q1 2026.
This would theoretically allow the car to handle the majority of driving tasks without human oversight in approved areas.
To back up these claims, XPeng released details of a recent breakthrough during nightly road testing with VLA 2.0.
In the demo, the vehicle encountered a drunk-driving checkpoint—a notoriously difficult edge case for autonomous systems because it relies entirely on human gestures rather than standard traffic lights or road signs.
According to XPeng, the vehicle automatically recognized the officer’s gesture signal to halt. It slowed down and stopped to wait for the driver to take the breathalyzer test. Crucially, the system did not attempt to inch forward or accelerate until it recognized a specific “pass” gesture from the officer.
XPeng claims the entire process, recognition, comprehension, and interaction, was handled by the VLA 2.0 model without any human takeover.
On the regulatory front, XPeng has secured L3 autonomous driving road test permits in Guangzhou. While L3 still requires a driver to be present and ready to take over, it shifts liability to the manufacturer when the system is engaged, a massive step that most automakers, including Tesla, have been hesitant to take legally, despite aggressive marketing.
Electrek’s Take
If what Xpeng says is accurate, that has to be the quickest breathalyzer test of all time.
That said, it does appear the vehicle approached the officer, then stopped, and then went back after getting the OK, which is impressive on its own.
I got a test drive in Xpeng’s latest VLA-powered end-to-end autonomous driving system in Guangzhou last month and it was impressive. On my short drive, it looked to be on par with Tesla FSD, but obviously, we would need a lot more testing to compare them thoroughly.
Xpeng now has an L3 testing permit, but much like Tesla, it doesn’t look like L3 is a priority for the company. It is putting more effort toward L4.
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