Zeekr, the electric luxury brand of Geely, China’s third-largest auto manufacturer by 2024 volume, is making headlines with its new self-driving technology, G-Pilot. The system, which will be available for free, could make it an even tougher sell for Tesla to market Full-Self Driving (FSD) as a premium upgrade.
Will Zeekr’s new G-Pilot system be a genuine game-changer, or just a more polished version of its problematic predecessor, NZP (Navigation Zeekr Pilot)? We’ve done the legwork, watched the footage, and broken it all down for you.
G-Pilot: What’s New Under the Hood?
At first glance, G-Pilot looks like a big step up. The system skips the preloaded maps in favor of live, real-time data collection, making it more adaptable to new traffic patterns and sudden environmental changes. That’s a major departure from most self-driving systems, which rely on pre-mapped data that can quickly become outdated.
This flashy marketing video explains the key differences, narrated in English for your convenience:
Key Features of G-Pilot:
- Real-time environment mapping: Since it collects data on the fly, G-Pilot can do things like roam and find empty parking spaces autonomously, even in unfamiliar lots.
- Obstacle evasion: The General Automated Evasion System enables the car to independently dodge obstacles at speeds between 50 and 80 MPH, making it theoretically more adept at handling surprises.
- Level 3 autonomy: G-Pilot offers Level 3 autonomous driving, a step up from NZP’s Level 2+ capabilities, putting it ahead of Tesla’s FSD… at least on paper. The big difference is that the driver doesn’t need to have hands on the steering wheel at all times.
The first vehicle to showcase G-Pilot will be the Zeekr 9X, a hybrid electric SUV debuting at the Shanghai Auto Show next month. Expect Level 3 autonomy baked right into the luxury package.
Zeekr’s Self-Driving Record Is… Mixed
Of course, this is FuelArc News, so we care more about how the cars actually do on the road than what’s written in the press release. To get a real sense of Zeekr’s autonomous track record, we took a look at on-road footage of its previous system, NZP.
The result? Yikes. See the video here on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. Watch between 5:00 and 5:30 if you’re pressed for time and just want to see the unsafe driving.
- The self-driving vehicle aggressively cuts off a cyclist who is behaving predictably and moving slowly.
- Right at the start of the video, the self-driving car squeezes uncomfortably close to other vehicles in heavy traffic, creating near-miss situations at speed.
- In one particularly tense moment, the car cruises through the intersection with very little margin for error, getting an audibly nervous reply from the reporter on board.
For context, bicycles are a hugely popular mode of transport in China, making this kind of oversight especially concerning. It’s not like the system was caught off guard by a rarity… it misjudged a routine traffic situation at speed.
What the Driver Said About the Near Miss
This footage was filmed during the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, with a Mobileye employee explaining the system to a Cybercar reporter.
Here’s what the driver said about the cyclist incident (translated from subtitles with the help of Google Translate):
- Driver: “You know, like we saw at that roundabout. There are some situations you cannot predict.”
- Reporter: “Some traffic is just too complex.” (Odd, considering it was a basic intersection with clear signage.)
- Driver: “True, true, true… for example, when pedestrians or bicyclists join in… we will judge the right of way. This may create challenges for autonomous driving.”
- Reporter: “Because the self-driving system assumes everyone will follow the rules.”
- Driver: “True, that’s it.”
A note from your editor/Chief Towing Officer: In Chinese, repeating a word three times conveys either emphasis or impatience. Given the near-miss, it’s unclear whether the driver was super-emphasizing or just growing impatient.
Sensor Suite and Hardware for Zeekr G-Pilot Self-Driving
The G-Pilot system is a technological step up from NZP. Here’s what makes it run:
- Two Nvidia Thor chips: G-Pilot gets its brainpower from 2 Nvidia Thor chips, which combine automated driving and parking into one centralized car computer. Read more about the Nvidia partnership here.
- At Least One LiDAR sensor: This is a big deal. Tesla’s FSD famously relies only on optical cameras, which can be blinded by precipitation, glare, or fog. While Zeekr’s single LiDAR sensor setup isn’t as robust as a Waymo (which uses four), it’s still a significant advantage over Tesla’s camera-only system. Fallback systems matter for safety.
Don’t expect to see G-Pilot-equipped vehicles at budget prices, at least not for starters. The Zeekr 9X SUV will reportedly run an MSRP of $137,000 USD for the Zeekr 9X Grande cut. That’s before potential variants that could lower the price… though with a price tag like that, even the “cheaper” models may still be eye-watering.
We’re Cautiously Optimistic (Emphasis on Cautiously)
Zeekr’s G-Pilot system definitely looks like an improvement over NZP. The use of LiDAR and the ability to read street signs alone puts it a step ahead of Tesla’s FSD, at least in terms of sensor coverage.
Whether Zeekr has truly solved the close-call problems of NZP remains to be seen. If the near-miss cyclist incident is any indicator, Zeekr still has some work to do.
That said, if I win the lottery and you catch me at the Shanghai Auto Show next month, I’ll be the one kicking the tires on the Z9X… and making sure the self-driving demo doesn’t try to run down any bicyclists.
