XPeng Pushes Its Self-Driving Tech to Rivals as Tesla's Licensing Pitch Stalls

XPeng is actively shopping its autonomous driving and smart cockpit systems to other automakers, suppliers and software companies, according to a Reuters report. The Chinese EV maker wants to turn its in-house technology into a licensing business, moving beyond the existing partnership it already has with Volkswagen.

The approach mirrors what Tesla has attempted to do for years with its Full Self-Driving suite. The key divergence, however, is that XPeng appears to be generating genuine interest from outside companies, while Tesla has struggled to find automakers willing to adopt its FSD platform.

If XPeng can convert that interest into signed deals, it would create a new revenue stream for the company and position its software stack as a competitor in the growing market for third-party autonomous driving solutions. The move also signals that Chinese EV makers are increasingly looking beyond vehicle sales to monetise their technology.