National People's Congress Representative He Xiaopeng: Proposes Assisted Driving Policy Jump from L2 to L4

Southern Finance National Two Sessions Report Team Kong Haili Zhang Sainan

The autonomous driving industry is an important track for cultivating new productive forces and promoting the transformation and upgrading of the automotive industry. Autonomous driving technology is shifting from the software-defined function era to an AI-driven intelligent era, with increasing demand for commercialization.

During the 2026 National Two Sessions, many representatives and committee members included suggestions related to autonomous driving technology.

“Recommend maintaining the stable operation of the L2 safety regulation system, promoting the policy transition from L2 to L4, and simplifying the intermediate L3 link,” proposed He Xiaopeng, a deputy to the 14th National People’s Congress and Chairman and CEO of XPeng Motors, during the 2026 Two Sessions.

The Southern Finance National Two Sessions Report Team learned that, besides autonomous driving technology, He Xiaopeng also submitted suggestions on key areas such as technological innovation, industrial development, accelerating the development and commercialization of advanced “edge-side local brains” for humanoid robots, and optimizing low-altitude airspace management and tax policies for flying car industries.

Suggest upgrading assisted driving policies from L2 to L4

As the autonomous driving industry accelerates, the current “gradual grading” management framework faces new challenges. Meanwhile, the global policy and regulatory window for autonomous driving is rapidly narrowing, with the United Nations and the US accelerating the implementation of regulations and mass production deployment laws for L3 and above.

In this context, China has a first-mover advantage in developing combined assisted driving (L2 level) applications and is actively promoting pilot projects for intelligent connected vehicle access and road testing. How to accelerate the adaptation of higher-level autonomous driving capabilities while consolidating existing safety foundations has become an unavoidable industry issue.

He Xiaopeng believes that promoting policies and regulations to leap from L2 to L4, facilitating rapid technological iteration and large-scale commercialization, will help China convert its accumulated advantages in L2 into a competitive edge in the L4 autonomous driving era.

Based on this, he proposed four suggestions:

1. Maintain the stable operation of the L2 safety regulation system while promoting the policy transition from L2 to L4, and simplify the L3 intermediate link.

2. Gradually clarify the registration and road management system for L4 autonomous vehicles, and promote compliant operation of L4 vehicles nationwide.

3. Conduct traffic regulation adaptability assessments, optimize traffic behavior norms applicable to both human and machine driving under safety conditions, considering autonomous driving features.

4. Grant local pilot management rights for L4 unmanned driving applications in specific scenarios, allowing some cities with mature basic conditions to conduct pilot projects in low-risk scenarios. This aims to gradually develop replicable and promotable experiences. The synchronized evolution of institutional supply and technological capabilities will help establish a more stable and predictable environment for large-scale deployment of higher-level autonomous driving.

He Xiaopeng stated, “Under international competition pressure in the deployment of higher-level autonomous driving, advancing from L2 to L3, and directly to L4, is not only a technological route choice but also a systematic upgrade of institutional systems, regulatory environments, and governance capabilities. Accelerating breakthroughs in key institutional bottlenecks that restrict industry development will give China a strategic advantage in the global competition of intelligent connected vehicles and autonomous driving industries.”

Suggest deploying local “brains” for humanoid robots

At the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, multiple humanoid robots made prominent appearances, attracting widespread social discussion due to their stable motion control and collaborative performance capabilities. During this year’s Two Sessions, He Xiaopeng also focused on the development of humanoid robots.

He Xiaopeng pointed out that, from a technical structure perspective, most of China’s current humanoid robots are controlled by software rules, demonstrating strong capabilities in motion control systems. However, in the “brain” (autonomous thinking and decision-making) and “cerebellum” (motion control) coordination systems, as well as in scene task generalization and commercialization prospects, the industry has yet to form an advantage. Long-term, there is a risk of falling behind the US’s “local edge-side brain” approach.

In contrast, deploying autonomous perception, decision-making, and execution capabilities locally, with generalization ability driven by physical world large models, makes high-level intelligent humanoid robots more conducive to widespread application in industrial, commercial, and even household scenarios, offering broader commercial value.

Therefore, He Xiaopeng recommends promoting breakthroughs and commercialization of high-level intelligent humanoid robot “brain” technology. R&D and training of edge-side large models, data collection and synthesis, and computing power require significant investment. He suggests implementing targeted R&D incentive policies, such as establishing national-level special R&D funds and strengthening full-chain tax policies, to support and guide the development of high-level intelligent humanoid robots, accelerate the deployment of large models locally, and speed up technological breakthroughs and commercialization.

He also proposed accelerating the construction of standards for humanoid robot intelligence, referencing automotive autonomous driving grading standards, establishing standards, technical norms, and supporting requirements for humanoid robot intelligence, and clarifying core indicators such as computing power, data, application scenarios, and training intensity to provide a unified basis for technological R&D, industry deployment, and regulatory oversight.

Suggest decentralizing low-altitude airspace management authority

Flying cars, as a strategic emerging product integrating low-altitude economy, new energy vehicles, and intelligent equipment, are also a focus for He Xiaopeng this year.

He believes that over-concentrated airspace approval management limits the autonomy of grassroots and market entities, and cross-departmental coordination mechanisms are not yet sound. Additionally, the classification of flying cars for tax purposes has not yet formed clear standards, and the industry faces tax policy uncertainties, restricting large-scale development and the full potential of the low-altitude economy.

Therefore, He Xiaopeng proposed two institutional suggestions:

1. Promote decentralization of low-altitude airspace management rights, establishing a tripartite military-civil-military joint management mechanism; select regions with mature low-altitude economy industries, favorable airspace resources, and relatively complete supporting facilities to pilot refined management of low-altitude airspace, and appropriately delegate management authority to sub-provincial or higher local governments to motivate local government initiatives in developing the low-altitude economy.

2. Based on the core attributes and functions of flying cars, clarify the tax classification for compliant aircraft meeting airworthiness standards, and implement phased tax reduction and support policies to reduce R&D, manufacturing, and market promotion costs, stimulating market demand. Establish a dynamic adjustment mechanism to gradually optimize tax incentives and implementation periods, ensuring policy support transitions smoothly to market-driven operations.

In He Xiaopeng’s view, the flying car industry is a key breakthrough for China’s low-altitude economy. Removing institutional bottlenecks in airspace management and tax policies, innovating policy support, and strengthening element guarantees will promote technological independence, standard leadership, and industry dominance for China’s flying car industry, helping the low-altitude economy become a new growth pole for high-quality economic development.