(Yicai Global) Oct. 25 -- Xpeng Motors has set its sights on having the software and hardware needed for fully autonomous driving in place by 2025, online news outlet The Paper reported, citing the vice president of the Chinese EV maker’s self-driving department.

Xpeng aims to achieve a high-level of unmanned driving by 2025 through the integration of its self-driving robotaxis with continuous upgrades in its automotive hardware, Wu Xinzhou said during a corporate event yesterday.

The firm’s smart driving assistance system will be expanded to cover all scenarios from next year to 2025, allowing the firm to enter the self-driving stage from 2025, Wu said. At the moment, the system is capable of handling single scenarios.

Xpeng plans to start testing its Robotaxis next year or the year after in Guangzhou, southern Guangdong province, in tandem with advances in the firm’s driving assistance system, Wu said.

The firm’s latest sports utility vehicle, the G9, has obtained a license to conduct self-driving tests on open roads. The carmaker said it should be able to secure the permit by upgrading the vehicle’s software and does not need to change any hardware, a first for the auto industry.

Xpeng debuted its self-driving system, the Navigation Guided Pilot, in Guangzhou on Sept. 27, Chief Executive He Xiaopeng said. Next it will launch an upgraded version of the Navigation Guided Pilot in Shenzhen and Shanghai, he added.

Originally the Guangzhou-based company had planned to introduce it in a number of different cities this year, but things turned out to be more complicated than expected, He said.

Xpeng’s Hong Kong-traded shares [HKG:9868] closed up 4.9 percent at HKD28.70 (USD3.66) today. Its US stock [NYSE:XPEV] sank 11.9 percent to finish at USD7.16 yesterday.

Editor: Kim Taylor