Chinese EV maker Xpeng is facing accusations of consumer fraud after allegedly removing millimeter-wave radars from some G6 models without informing customers, an investigation by state news agency Xinhua News-owned Economic Information reveals.
The controversy began when a Beijing customer, Ms. Deng, discovered during repairs that her 2023 Xpeng G6 was missing two front corner millimeter-wave radars that had been advertised as part of the vehicle’s advanced driver assistance system. According to Deng, Xpeng had marketed the G6 as having “31 intelligent driving sensors” with “super perception” capabilities that provide a “God’s-eye view.”
When Deng confronted Xpeng about the missing hardware in February 2025, company representatives allegedly dismissed her concerns, claiming they had implemented a “hardware simplification without function simplification” through their new “AI Eagle Eye pure vision solution.” Shortly after her complaint, Deng noticed that Xpeng had quietly modified the electronic user manual in their app, changing the specified number of millimeter-wave radars from five to three.
The incident appears to be widespread, with at least 159 Xpeng owners signing a joint rights protection letter addressing similar concerns. Many discovered the missing radars only during routine maintenance or repairs.
In response to inquiries from Economic Information, Xpeng acknowledged that they had “canceled the use of front corner millimeter-wave radars” after upgrading to a pure vision-assisted driving solution. The company insisted that information about configuration changes was synchronized across official channels and denied any deception.
Affected owners reject this explanation, arguing that the radar reduction has led to noticeable performance degradation, particularly in challenging conditions such as night driving, tunnels, strong backlighting, snow, or rain. They report phantom braking on highways, inaccurate distance measurements, and difficulties in construction zones or when passing large vehicles.
Industry experts quoted by Economic Information note that while debate continues about the merits of different autonomous driving approaches, most automakers still employ multiple sensors for redundancy and safety. Legal experts suggest Xpeng’s actions may constitute fraudulent sales practices under Article 55 of China’s Consumer Rights Protection Law by deliberately concealing important facts that directly influence purchasing decisions.
Previously, Economic Information reported that Xpeng was secretly replacing defective parts of its P7+ vehicle while avoiding an official recall. The report ultimately led to Xpeng recalling nearly 48,000 P7+ vehicles.
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