The Paris Motor Show this year debuted the Autonomous Lab, a smart driving experience program for the public. However, only two brands participated: Tesla, an American company, and Xpeng, a Chinese company.

The conventional test drive area featured around 90 models from 21 brands, including familiar names like Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, Skoda, Alfa Romeo, and Lancia. Yet, no European brands were listed among those participating in the Autonomous Lab experiences.

Xpeng and Tesla vehicles stand side-by-side in the experience area at the Paris Motor Show. *Xpeng*

Visitors could test drive on public roads using six Tesla Model 3 vehicles equipped with full self-driving, a supervised autonomous driving system, and two Xpeng L03 vehicles featuring navigation guided pilot, the VLA 2.0 autonomous driving system.

Each 25-minute ride commenced from the test center located in one of the exhibition halls. A specialist guided visitors, explaining the vehicle's operations.

The route demonstrated features such as pedestrian detection, automatic braking, lane keeping, traffic adaptation, lane change assist, and automatic parking. Organizers described these systems as level 2++ supervised autonomous driving.

Visitors queue to register for the assisted driving technology experience. *Xpeng*

Smart driving technology in the European market

Tesla's full self-driving system is approved in eight European Union (EU) countries, but France has not yet recognized the temporary type approval granted by the Netherlands. On 2/9, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot announced that UTAC, the French type-approval agency, would conduct road tests on two FSD-equipped Tesla vehicles.

Tesla stated it has been testing full self-driving in France since 2024, conducting over 5,000 real-world passenger experiences since 12/2025. Despite this, neither the organizers nor the two automakers have disclosed the licensing framework under which the exhibition's test drives operated.

Meanwhile, the Xpeng L03, an electric SUV coupe with an optional range extender, debuted in Munich, Germany, on 16/7. Navigation guided pilot (VLA 2.0) is Xpeng's camera-based assisted driving system, built on real-world artificial intelligence (AI) simulation models and powered by the company's proprietary Turing chips.

An Xpeng vehicle drives on a Paris street with smart assisted driving technology. *Xpeng*

Xpeng plans to introduce this technology to Europe from 2027 via over-the-air (OTA) software updates in jurisdictions where permitted. Paris, France, serves as the initial stop for the company's large-scale testing outside the Chinese market.

Unlike Tesla's full self-driving, which relies solely on a camera system, Xpeng's navigation guided pilot gathers data from cameras, millimeter-wave radar, and ultrasonic sensors.