Paris Motor Show Opens With Free Supervised Self‑Driving Demonstrations

Overview

• The Mondial de l'Auto opened to the press on Sunday and will welcome the public from Tuesday, October 13; more than 60 world premieres are on show, including retro‑inspired and lower‑cost electric models.
• Visitors can reserve free demonstration rides in Tesla and Xpeng vehicles at the show that will be supervised by an operator ready to intervene so the public can observe automated driving in real conditions.
• Xpeng France has disclosed the demo car's sensor and AI package as 12 cameras and 12 sensors, underscoring vendors' emphasis on multi‑sensor stacks during the demonstrations.
• Pre‑show road tests of Chinese models in Paris were described by engineers as concluding, and roughly half of the roughly 60 brands at the expo are Chinese firms now presenting market‑ready cars for Europe.
• Regulators still limit higher‑level autonomy in France to narrow cases and keep drivers legally responsible today, but officials and industry sources say successful tests could lead to wider EU authorisation as early as 2027, a shift that would affect liability, market access and pricing pressure for affordable EVs.