Paris Motor Show 2026: Tesla and XPENG are the only brands giving real-traffic rides in the Autonomous Lab
At the Mondial de l'Auto (October 12–18), visitors can ride on public roads in six Tesla Model 3s with FSD (Supervised) and two XPENG L03s with NGP (VLA 2.0). How the rides work and where FSD stands in France.
At the Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l'Auto, October 12–18, 2026), visitors can for the first time ride in cars with advanced driver-assistance systems on roads open to traffic. The programme is called the Autonomous Lab, and the organiser has named only two brands: Tesla, with six Model 3s running FSD (Supervised), and XPENG, with two L03s running its NGP (VLA 2.0) system.
The news spread on X after a post by German investor account EFIEBER, but it comes from the organiser (September 30). XPENG confirmed that it and Tesla are "the only two automakers" in the programme.
How the rides work
- Rides start from the test centre in Hall 7.1, Gate H, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
- Each ride takes about 25 minutes, with slots between 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Booking is on-site only.
- Visitors are accompanied by a "Genius" who explains what the car is doing.
- The route covers pedestrian detection, automatic braking, lane keeping, traffic adaptation, assisted lane changes and automated parking.
The organiser describes the systems as supervised automated driving at "level 2++". October 12 is press-only; the public is admitted from October 13 to 18.
FSD is not yet approved in France
FSD (Supervised) is approved in eight EU countries, but France has not recognised the provisional Dutch type approval. On September 2, Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot announced road tests of two FSD-equipped Teslas by UTAC, France's type-approval body. Tesla says it has been testing FSD in France since 2024 and has given more than 5,000 demos to customers in the passenger seat since December 2025. Neither the organiser nor the two automakers have said under what authorisation the show rides will run.
What the XPENG L03 and VLA 2.0 are
The L03 is an electric SUV coupé (also offered with a range extender), launched in Munich on July 16. NGP (VLA 2.0) is XPENG's camera-based driver-assistance system, built on an AI model of the physical world and running on its own Turing chips. XPENG plans to bring it to Europe from 2027 via OTA, where the law allows. Paris is its first large-scale test outside China.
What about European brands?
The regular test centre, with about 90 models from 21 brands, includes Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel, Škoda, Alfa Romeo and Lancia. No European brand appears on the list for the Autonomous Lab rides, though.
For the rest of the show's news, see our article on the Chinese brands coming to Paris. For where FSD is legal right now, see our guide to FSD Supervised in Europe and Romania.
