By ZHOU Shuqi

Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu went online last week to inexplicably poke fun at “certain automotive industry leaders” who he derided as lacking fundamental understanding of Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) technology.

The barbed “certain automotive industry leaders” is thought to refer to XPeng’ Chairman He Xiaopeng who, a few days previously, had taken potshots at an unnamed competitor behind “too many cases of AEB causing false braking.”

Huawei is a prominent force in AEB technology.

At the launch of the AITO M7 in September, Huawei’s Yu stated that AEB was safe at speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour, and could reduce traffic accidents by 90 percent.

AEB uses radar to measure the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle or obstacle in front and brakes accordingly. 

However, in He’s view, AEB is only good at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. If the speed is too high, when false braking occurs, it can be a huge scare for passengers.

The public debate between Yu and He is a clear manifestation of the stresses in the domestic intelligent driving market.

XPeng has always attached great importance to intelligent driving, and has made significant investments. The company plans to achieve the coverage of urban intelligent driving assistance systems on major national road networks by 2024.

Huawei has been more aggressive in its approach, and it is expected that by December this year, high-level intelligent driving assistance will be available nationwide.

XPeng’s He can barely can barely contain his bitterness: “Everyone contributes differently to an industry; some are responsible for attracting everyone’s attention, while others are responsible for doing the actual work.”