Li Auto, XPeng and Others Accelerate AI Push to Integrate Smart Cockpits and Autonomous Driving

To break free from the hardware-specification and price-war trap, automakers like Li Auto and XPeng are pivoting toward AI transformation, aiming to develop "robotic cars" with proactive perception and service capabilities. Li Xiang, CEO of Li Auto, believes AI is evolving from chatbots to agents, and vehicles should understand users' needs and proactively serve them. He Xiaopeng, CEO of XPeng, proposes that intelligent cockpits and autonomous driving systems will merge into a "super intelligence agent." In response, both companies have restructured their organizations: Li Auto has reorganized its autonomous driving division, while XPeng has merged its cockpit and autonomous driving teams into a new "General Intelligence Center." Industry experts note that cockpit-driving integration requires a unified AI foundation. Although this approach offers advantages in cost efficiency and technology reuse, full integration remains challenging in the short term due to differences in system requirements, computing resource allocation, and development timelines. Experts recommend starting with low-risk scenarios, retaining user intervention mechanisms, and gradually advancing integration while ensuring safety.