Xpeng Starts P7 Electric Sedan Deliveries In China, Taking On Tesla

In another sign that China is getting the COVID-19 crisis under control and things are getting back to some sort of normal, Xpeng announced today that it has started deliveries of its new P7 all-electric sports sedan. The news followed the official go-ahead that the company got in May from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to start production at its wholly-owned factory, the Zhaoqing Xpeng Motors Intelligent Industrial Park, in Guangdong Province. That’s where the first deliveries are taking place today, but Xpeng says its new EVs will be available across the country.

The P7 is a different beast than the company’s other vehicle, the G3 electric SUV, which Xpeng said last year had sold over 12,000 units in more than 200 cities throughout China. The P7 is a sedan, for one thing, but it also has what the company calls “Internet DNA,” which is marketing speak for all of the connected technology in the EV. That includes the Xmart OS In-car system (with voice interaction and an in-car app ecosystem) as well as V2X capability and XPILOT 3.0, which combines some driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control, lane centering control and assisted lane change with safety features like front/rear/side collision warnings thanks to 31 sensors.

All of this tech is made possible by XPeng’s Smart Electric Platform Architecture (SEPA) that sounds more futuristic than real: “With a comprehensive built-in neural network backed by powerful dual-chip computing system, the P7’s data processing capability eclipses its predecessor to handle more scenarios. Whole-vehicle OTA upgrades will significantly improve your experience,” the company claims, saying that with each Xmart OS system upgrade, “the P7’s intelligence is evolving.”

The automaker currently has a sales and service network that include 99 “experience centers,” 64 service centers and 27 sales outlets in 57 Chinese cities. Xpeng told me at the end of 2019 that it had over 15,000 pre-orders for the P7 and says today that production at the Zhaoqing plant is ramping and could build 100,000 units a year if the demand is there. The company also believes that the P7 is a legitimate competitor to the EVs that Tesla sells in China.

The P7 starts at 240,000 RMB (around $34,500), but there was a special pre-order version that comes with higher trim features like a longer-range battery pack and cost 370,000 RMB ($53,000). The P7’s long-range pack can go over 700 kilometers (435 miles) on the not-so-realistic NEDC test cycle. The company admits as much, saying in a footnote that, “In the actual driving process, different road conditions, driving habits, etc. will lead to different battery life performance, which cannot be achieved under any circumstances.” Glad some things in life are still normal.