Xpeng is seen by some because the Chinese language reply to Tesla, not solely due to its emphasis on tech, notably self-driving, but additionally by way of positioning. One among three Chinese language EV start-ups listed within the US for a very long time, it was finest seen as an also-ran due to disappointing gross sales towards better-known Nio and gross sales powerhouse Li Auto.
That each one modified for Xpeng final 12 months thanks to 2 new fashions. Gross sales of the primary, the Xpeng Mona M03, started in August and rapidly the automotive grew to become Xpeng’s best-selling mannequin. Then, in November gross sales started of XPeng P7+, and it marked an enormous reset for the Shenzhen-headquartered start-up.
The revealing of the P7+ ultimately 12 months’s Paris Auto Present in Europe speaks volumes in regards to the rising confidence of the corporate, together with the fast acceleration of exports. April this 12 months noticed the automotive displayed at Milan Design Week earlier than happening sale on the continent later in 2025. Xpeng already sells automobiles within the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Eire, Poland and Italy.
Each the Mona M03 and P7+ are literally liftbacks, a sort of hatchback. As such, they differ considerably from XPeng’s earlier automobiles, which had been all sedans and SUVs, and an odd alternative given the restricted attraction of liftbacks within the Chinese language market.
{Photograph} Courtesy of XPeng
Nonetheless, way more importantly, setting the P7+ aside from all earlier Xpeng automobiles is its democratization of self-driving options. Xpeng has lengthy prided itself on its prowess on this space. In 2021, the corporate was the primary to launch a mass-produced automotive outfitted with Lidar, the P5. This by 2022 allowed what Xpeng refers to as NGP (navigation guided pilot) for self-driving (formally driving help) in a choose band of cities (Metropolis NGP), a primary in China.
Full Reset
In 2023, Xpeng launched a extra superior model known as XNGP on its G9 and P7i fashions, we examined it on the latter. Xpeng steadily rolled it out throughout the nation till the system coated most roads in China.
The issue was that as Xpeng rolled the system out by means of its vary, every mannequin took a two-tier method to the self-driving ADAS options. On the top-of-the-range Max variations they used Lidar, whereas decrease spec variations made do with a camera-based system, which restricted utilization to highways.
Xpeng’s P7+ marks a whole reset. Gone are the costly Lidar models, and but from launch Xpeng claimed the P7+ was able to the identical stage of driving help as its Lidar-toting fashions.
With sensors now consisting of 12 exterior cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and three millimeter wavelength radars, in accordance with the model it permits each variations (there are solely two) of the P7+ to supply the identical flagship stage of self-driving capacity. And in contrast to Tesla and a few others, it comes at no additional value to purchasers. We’ll come again to this.
The scale of the battery pack and the facility of the motor are the one actual variations between the 2 variations of the P7+. My take a look at automotive was the Extremely-Lengthy Vary Max, which has the bigger 76.3-kWh battery pack and a extra highly effective 230-kW motor. Each fashions use lithium iron phosphate batteries however the cheaper Lengthy Vary Max model makes use of a smaller 60.7-kWh pack. At present, the P7+ solely comes with a single rear-mounted electrical motor, and the bottom mannequin makes do with a much less highly effective 180-kW unit. Vary for WIRED’s take a look at model is claimed to be 450 miles utilizing China’s city driving-skewed and extra forgiving CLTC take a look at cycle.
