Xpeng has stopped accepting orders from Europe

The Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng is suspending its pre-orders for its P5 model, which opened in March in the European countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, until further notice, citing global supply chain problems.

In mid-March, Xpeng had opened the reservation portal for four European markets. The P5 e-sedan was priced between 39,366 euros and 53,333 euros, depending on the country. As Xpeng explained to the US portal Electrek, this step was taken because the company had come to the assessment that due to global supply chain problems, the promised delivery times for the P5 in Europe might no longer be met.

With the pre-orders from the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, Xpeng also wanted to get feedback on the demand for the P5 in the countries. On this basis, a decision was to be made as to whether the P5 or the larger P7 should be launched nationwide in Europe first – there are already some P7s on the road in Norway.

Xpeng did not tell Electrek how the customer feedback on the P5 turned out. The only reason for the decision was supply chain problems. According to the report, the manufacturer now wants to concentrate on the P7 in Europe. But that will take time: according to Xpeng, the P7 could be delivered in Europe from the second quarter of 2023. So the P5, if it does come to Europe at a later date, will probably be delivered in 2024 at the earliest.

“Our latest assessment is that the previously indicated delivery time for the P5 in Europe may no longer be achievable, as a result of some of these challenges. In order to minimize any impact on our customers, we are therefore taking steps to suspend new reservations for the XPeng P5 (in Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Sweden),” Electrek quotes from a letter from Xpeng. “We believe these steps are in the best interest of our customers, and will shield them from the uncertainty. For those customers who have make reservation for the P5, we are currently actively communicating with them about the timeline uncertainty, and are making sure our customers hear from us in the first place. Customer experience is our top priority.”

Customers who have reserved a P5 in European markets will now be given the option to upgrade to a P7 if they are interested – but the report does not specify the exact terms. What is not confirmed is whether there are problems with parts supply for the P5 in general (the car is on a different platform to the P7), or whether Xpeng has prioritised production of the P5 for the domestic market.

electrek.co