Xpeng wins Guangzhou approval for citywide L4 robotaxi trials, moving toward public service

• Xpeng Yoyo has been cleared to conduct L4 robotaxi trial operations across Guangzhou, with access initially expanding through invitation codes.
• The company previously set a target of operating passenger services without safety drivers in 2027.

Xpeng's (NYSE: XPEV) robotaxi business has received approval to conduct Level 4 autonomous driving trial operations across its home city of Guangzhou, paving the way for the Chinese EV maker to commercialize its autonomous ride services.

The company announced on Monday that its robotaxi business, Xpeng Yoyo, had secured approval for L4 autonomous driving trial operations.

Candice Yuan, head of Xpeng's robotaxi business, said on Weibo that the company had obtained Guangzhou's qualification for intelligent connected vehicle demonstration operations, allowing it to conduct L4 robotaxi trials citywide.

The approval, however, does not mean the service will immediately be available to all users. Yuan said the team would continue to gradually open access through invitation codes during the initial phase, steadily expanding service coverage while ensuring safety.

The approval enables Xpeng's robotaxi business to move from internal testing toward public service, advancing beyond technology validation to testing real-world operations and commercial viability, she said.

The company will refine its product experience and service systems through daily operations, building experience to eventually offer mature, replicable robotaxi solutions to partners worldwide, Yuan said.

The development extends Xpeng's robotaxi push this year. The company obtained a permit for intelligent connected vehicle road testing in Guangzhou in January and established a dedicated robotaxi division in March.

Its first production robotaxi rolled off the assembly line in May. It completed its first internal test ride in July, with chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng becoming the first passenger to experience the full process from booking online to taking a ride.

On an August 24 earnings call, He said the company's robotaxis, built with autonomous driving systems integrated at the factory, had completed more than 2,000 internal test rides in Guangzhou, validating the full process for passenger trial operations.

He said at the time that Xpeng had completed development of a cloud-based remote takeover platform and aimed to operate passenger services without safety drivers in 2027.