Xpeng Set to Offer Autonomous Cars in Indonesia, But Drivers Must Remain Vigilant

KatadataOTO – The development of autonomous car technology continues to grow. One company focused on developing it is Xpeng, a manufacturer from China.

They revealed that they currently have Level 2 and Level 2+ autonomous cars. At these levels, the vehicle cannot be fully left alone and still requires a driver for optimal operation.

Nevertheless, the car can still drive itself in several locations such as toll roads, parking lots, and some other locations. Interestingly, the technology is claimed to have been tested in several locations, including Southeast Asia.

“We will launch this technology globally and enter several regions such as Europe, Australia, and Indonesia,” said Yuan Tingting, Senior Director of Autonomous Driving Products at Xpeng, some time ago.

Photo : KatadataOTO

At the Xpeng Global Experience Day event held in Hong Kong and attended directly by KatadataOTO, she revealed that her team has used AI in its development.

For Indonesia, they will make the Xpeng X9 the inaugural product. The car is equipped with various modern features including Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Centering Control (LCC), which are claimed to function well outside of China.

“We have a variety of the latest driver assistance features that customers can experience directly. I have also tried the LCC and automatic parking features in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Singapore, with very good results,” she affirmed.

Must Remain Vigilant

Although it has the latest features, Indonesia has traffic conditions that are very different from neighboring countries. Therefore, drivers are advised to remain cautious even though the car is equipped with many assistance features

“Lately, there have been many electric cars that have the added value of comfort and safety for their users. However, drivers' mastery of these technologies in daily driving is still lacking,” said Sony Susmana, Senior Instructor at SDCI (Safety Defensive Consultant Indonesia).

Mastering the features of a vehicle is actually one of the basics before starting to drive. This is expected to reduce the risk of accidents.

Photo : KatadataOTO

Not only that, he revealed that traffic knowledge in Indonesia is generally still far from safe. In addition, many bad driving habits that are considered normal also pose a challenge.

“So, modern safety technologies like ADAS must still be used in conjunction with environmental conditions, and the driver cannot be absolved of responsibility. In my opinion, no matter how advanced a vehicle is, it will be unsafe in the wrong hands,” he asserted.