Xpeng P7 EV at 2019 Chengdu Motor Show.
Xpeng
Xpeng choose an unfortunate date to tease the unveiling of its new P7 electric coupe and the revised G3 electric SUV. The electric vehicle Internet is all abuzz with the Porsche Taycan today – and for good reason – but the Chengdu Motor Show starts tomorrow and so that’s why Xpeng is trying to catch some of the EV hype.
The new G3 2020 has a range of up to 323 miles (on the generous NEDC test) from a 66.5-kWh battery pack and can be equipped with the company’s XPILOT 2.5 driver assistance technology for automated parking and some self-driving help like lane keep assist and lane centering. The shorter-range standard G3 can go up to 250 miles and there’s a fun range calculator on the company’s page where you can play around with heat and AC parameters to see how they affect the EV’s range.
Xpeng Motors already has a hit on its hands with the 2019 version of the G3, saying that China Passenger Car Association data shows shows it was “China’s best-selling EV from a new maker” between January and July 2019. The company also says that it has built over 10,000 units of this electric SUV since starting production in December 2018.
Xpeng will start deliveries of the new G3 EV in Chengdu, which it calls “the gateway to South West China.” The automaker recently opened five experience centers there in preparation for its expanding market. In total, Xpeng has opened more than 40 stores in 24 cities and 16 provinces throughout China. It plans to have more than 120 of its branded stores (both direct sales locations and authorized dealers) open in China by the end of 2019. And if you think that’s an ambitious goal, just wait until you hear that the company wants to grow its “supercharging” stations (yet, Xpeng uses that name) from 70 today to 250 by the end of the year.
Xpeng is also showing off its P7 electric four-door coupe in Chengdu. This EV has an NEDC range of over 370 miles and is built on Xpeng’s SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) skateboard. Like the G3, it comes with the XPILOT Advanced Driver Assistance System and the XUI Fusion-based perception technology that responds to voice and gestures. Xpeng says that the XPILOT system in the P7 is capable of “advanced L3 autonomous driving features” that has been optimized for China. Xpeng will start deliveries of the P7 in the Spring of 2020.
