Last year Tesla filed a lawsuit against one of their former employees, Guangzhi Cao, alleging that before leaving the California automaker he downloaded the company’s Autopilot source code. After the filing, Cao admitted to downloading the source code, but said he deleted it and did not provide it to his new employer, XPeng Motors.
Even if Cao did share Tesla’s Autopilot source code with XPeng, it appears that still wasn’t enough as the Chinese EV maker has announced its XPilot software has been delayed and will not be included with the launch of its new P7 sedan.
According to a report by Diandong, a customer set to receive the new electric car from Xpeng was informed by text message the XPilot software has not yet been certified.
The message goes on to explain that even some of the basic features such as the full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane centering assistant, and the driving visualization display system will not be available at launch.
Customers can still take delivery of the car later this month, or they can opt to wait until October 2020, when Xpeng believes the software will be certified.
If a customer takes delivery of the car without the XPilot system, it will reportedly be available via a free over-the-air (OTA) software update once ready.
The P7 is seen by some as a rival to Tesla’s flagship Model S. It comes equipped with 12 ultrasonic sensors, five high-precision millimeter-wave radars, 13 cameras, plus one in-car camera with HD map and high-precision positioning that will allow it have autonomous driving functions for highways, urban roads, and valet parking.
Xpeng also recently came under fire for the design of its website for the P7, which bares a strong resemblance to the page for the Model S on Tesla’s website.
Here’s a video showing XPeng’s XPilot system in action.
