Xpeng Motors brings 2nd model to market in China

Xpeng Motors launched its second production model in China. After the G3 e-SUV was released in late 2018, the P7 E-Limousine is now on the market, with prices starting at 229,900 yuan (around 29,950 euros) after subsidies. In addition, there are unconfirmed reports of an imminent launch in Europe.

The G3 has been on the market since December 2018, and since a small update in summer 2019 the electric car will have a range of 520 kilometres – although calculated according to with the outdated NEDC standard. The P7 sedan is in all respects slightly higher than the G3. In terms of range, the new model comes to a value of 706 kilometres according to the manufacturer but again, determined according to NEDC.

The P7 is based on a platform developed by Xpeng Motors called SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture), which suggests that there are more models on the new platform. With a total length of 4.88 metres and a wheelbase of just under three metres, the P7 ranks in the upper-middle class. Models such as the Mercedes E-Class and the Audi A6 are a few centimetres longer but have a shorter wheelbase – which speaks for comparatively more space inside the Xpeng.

For the drive, Xpeng offers the P7 in three versions: The two versions with rear-wheel drive have a 196 kW electric motor on the rear axle and differ in terms of the battery: the long-range model has a 70.8 kWh battery, the super long-range model one with 80.0 kWh energy content. This variant also comes within the aforementioned 706-kilometre NEDC range. The all-wheel-drive model still has a 120 kW motor on the front axle, reducing the time needed to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h from 6.7 to 4.3 seconds. However, Xpeng has not given a ballpark for the range of the four-wheel-drive model – InsideEVs estimates it to be around 600 kilometres.

Using a fast-charging system not specified in more detail, it should be possible to charge the batteries from 30 to 80 per cent in about half an hour – which corresponds to an average charging capacity of 80 kW in this range.

Xpeng especially emphasises another feature of the P7: It should be the first model in China with autonomous driving functions according to level 3. The system is based on the Drive Xavier from Nvidia. The older XPILOT 2.5, as Xpeng calls their assistant, is on board as standard equipment. The new XPILOT 3.0 is also optionally available. The Nvidia system is apparently supposed to allow both systems to run simultaneously so that some functions are secured via redundancy. For the autonomous driving system, the P7 has numerous cameras and new types of millimetre-wave radar sensors, which according to Xpeng can also detect objects at a distance of 200 metres and should have “market-leading accuracy”.

Deliveries to customers are scheduled to start in June. The rear-wheel-drive model is available from the aforementioned 229,900 Yuan, the four-wheel-drive model is available from 349,900 Yuan (45,590 Euro). In China, the relatively young company has 113 stores in 57 cities. The 73 service centres are spread across 52 cities.

Xpeng repeatedly emphasises that the focus for this model is entirely on China. However, the company also has permission to test the P7 on the road in the USA. And apparently there are also plans to take off in Europe. While company boss Brian Gu said in an interview with Fully Charged that Xpeng Motors is “keeping a close eye on the European market and Norway in particular”, the Norwegian electric car YouTuber Bjørn Nyland reports that Xpeng will launch its G3 in Norway this year and the P7 next year. As Nyland claims to have found out, the Chinese fast-charging standard GB/T is to be replaced by CHAdeMO for the European models – but this information has not been confirmed.

With reporting by Sebastian Schaal.

gasgoo.com, insideevs.com, carscoops.com, xiaopeng.com (all P7), youtube.com (Fully Charged, from 17:10), youtube.com (Bjørn Nyland)