This is confirmed by Germany’s Center of Automotive Management.
Autonomous driving and advanced safety systems place the Chinese brand at the top of the automotive market for technology.
- The Chinese high-tech company records the highest level of innovation
- Independent ranking by the Center of Automotive Management
- Robotaxi services to debut as early as 2026 in the Chinese domestic market
- Press conference at the Brussels Motor Show for the European launch of the new P7+ on 9 January
XPENG is the world’s most innovative automotive manufacturer in the field of safety systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving: no other carmaker currently matches the technological leadership of the Chinese high-tech group. This is the conclusion of a recent study conducted by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.
Partial automation has long since become the standard among Chinese automotive brands. In particular, the study notes that Chinese manufacturers have outperformed international competitors in the ADAS field over the past three years. In 2024 alone, the share of Chinese brands in global innovative strength exceeded 70%. German manufacturers accounted for 14%, while US brands reached just 12%.
Eight of the ten most innovative automotive manufacturers are Chinese. With an innovation index of 65.6, XPENG stands as the clear market leader. The gap to the second-placed manufacturer exceeds seven points, while the most innovative European brand achieves an index of around half that of XPENG, at 34.3.
OEM innovativi nei campi ADAS/Guida Autonoma/Sicurezza secondo lo studio del CAM tedesco
Level-2+ as standard
XPENG derives around half of its innovative strength from developments related to Level-2+ autonomous driving. Advanced driver assistance systems such as XPILOT, fitted as standard on every XPENG model, support the driver and enable a partially autonomous driving experience on specific road sections. Depending on market conditions and regulatory frameworks, vehicles from the Chinese high-tech electric car brand may also offer higher levels of autonomy (Level 3.0 and 3.5).
“We are particularly pleased that the Center of Automotive Management, an independent and authoritative organisation, once again confirms XPENG’s role as a sector pioneer. Our customers will benefit immediately from advanced technologies that not only make the on-board experience more intuitive and enjoyable, but above all deliver greater comfort and safety. It is precisely this technology that will soon pave the way for autonomous driving, naturally as soon as European regulations permit its deployment,” said Mattia Vanini, President of ATFlow, official importer of XPENG in Italy.
Autonomous robotaxis
XPENG itself offers a glimpse of what the future may hold: in 2026 the company will launch three robotaxi models in its domestic market. Equipped with the first fully in-house developed full-stack model created in China – including four Turing AI chips, computing capacity of up to 3,000 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second) and advanced AI-supported operating systems – the vehicles will be fully autonomous. In collaboration with Amap, an Alibaba Group partner providing advanced mapping services, robotaxi services are also set to be rolled out internationally.
European launch of the new P7+ at the Brussels Motor Show
XPENG continues its global expansion programme with the European debut of the new XPENG P7+ at the Brussels Motor Show. The first car defined by artificial intelligence will be unveiled during the press conference scheduled for 9 January at 9.00 a.m. on the XPENG stand in Hall 7 of Brussels Expo. The exhibition will also showcase the SEPA 2.0 platform, the XPENG-developed Turing Chip with computing power of 2,250 TOPS, as well as the current MY26 range of G6 and G9 models.
European premiere for the new P7+, the first car defined by artificial intelligence, at the Brussels Motor Show on 9 January 2026.
About the study
The “Connected Car Innovation (CCI)” study by the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) analyses and compares, on the basis of empirical indicators, the performance and innovation levels of 30 global automotive groups representing around 100 brands, across connected vehicles and services and their respective market strength. The study is based on the CAM Automotive Innovations database.
For a comprehensive analysis of trends in the connected car sector, more than 2,300 connectivity-relevant innovations from 2020 to 2024 (including 419 in 2024 alone) were assessed across the technological fields of safety systems/ADAS (e.g. autonomous driving, lane keeping), information and communication systems (connectivity, V2X, software services), and interface and display concepts (user interfaces, voice control, augmented reality).
5 January 2025
