A survey by XPeng has shown that Europe has some catching up to do when it comes to automotive AI acceptance; apparently just 13 per cent of Europeans would get in a self-driving car – compared with 70 per cent of those in China. As many as 82 per cent of Europeans say they understand AI, only 13 per cent would trust an autonomous car enough to take a trip without a driver at the wheel. A total of 53 per cent expressed “little or no trust in AI” when given the scenario of it “taking over driving or making emergency decisions”. The survey of more than 5,000 respondents across six European countries suggested up to 53 per cent of drivers feel comfortable with features such as adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition and lane-keep assist – many of which are powered, to a lesser or greater extent, by AI. There were regional variations, however. Spain is apparently more trusting (63 per cent would travel in an autonomous car) than the UK (34 per cent). As a whole, 61 per cent cite a loss of human control as a leading fear of AI. Dr. Brian Gu, XPeng’s vice chairman and president said: “Europe isn’t waiting for more features, it’s waiting for more exposure. This study shows that human command, clear guardrails and verified sustainability gains are what move European opinion. “If AI mobility can earn consent in Europe, where expectations on privacy, safety, sustainability and accountability are among the highest in the world, it can set a stronger global benchmark,” Gu said. “[XPeng’s] approach is simple: make AI visible, make it explainable, and keep the driver in charge while we earn the right to automate more.” XPeng currently sells just one model in the UK: the Tesla Model Y-rivalling G6 is available now through the Auto Express Buy a Car service, from just over £400 per month. The Long Range model, with up to 354 miles of range, is £37 per month more. However, it plans to launch two more cars – the P7 saloon and X9 MPV – within the not too distant future. It has its fingers in other pies, too: the AeroHT – a £220,000 combined car and aircraft – has already been licensed for use in China, with hopes to bring it to Europe in due course.
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