Xpeng and Alibaba's Amap: Your Questions Answered

Daily Car

·

06/11/2025

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This is the plain language rundown on the new plan from electric car builder Xpeng and map provider Amap.

What does the new deal cover?

Xpeng, a Chinese electric car firm, has formally linked up with Amap, the map plus navigation arm of Alibaba. The firms say they will work on one project together.

What will they release?

The pair will build and roll out a robotaxi fleet - passenger cars that pick up riders without a human driver.

Who is Xpeng?

Xpeng is a household name in China for battery powered cars - it builds vehicles packed with driver aid tech, the same tech that later supports full self driving.

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Who is Amap?

Amap runs China's largest digital map platform, akin to Google Maps. A self driving car must have centimetre level maps refreshed every hour - Amap already stores but also streams that data nationwide.

Why pool resources?

Xpeng owns the cars and the self driving code - Amap owns the ultra detailed maps and routing engine. One side supplies the eyes, the other the brain - together they form a system ready for public roads.

What comes next?

The joint venture signals that robotaxis have moved from lab work to commercial battle. Xpeng besides Alibaba now field a single, stronger entry in that race.

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