Xpeng Bets On P7+ For European Market – CleanTechnica

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As I just noted in another article, Chinese EV producers are selling many electric cars in China, but are also now looking for the best way to plant themselves and grow in foreign markets. Europe is the biggest target, as it’s the second biggest EV market in the world. However, just as Chinese automakers are trying to make inroads there, the EU is putting up notable trade barriers (tariffs).

The thing is: while tariffs are certainly going to hurt the entrance and sales of low-cost electric cars from China, the higher-tier, super high-tech, and luxurious models have plenty of room to slide into Europe and find success. That’s the Xpeng P7+, which was just unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.

There were two claims about the P7+ that really stood out to me in the announcement about this. First of all, there’s the claim that this is “the world’s first AI-defined vehicle.” AI is the big buzzword, and I find it sort of irritating these days, but I know Xpeng has top-of-class autonomous driving tech, so I was slightly curious what Xpeng was going to highlight as being AI in the car. Unfortunately, I didn’t really find any specifics. The most useful line about this is: “The advanced features of XPENG’s AI-defined vehicles include the capability to learn from individual users’ behaviors and preferences. This technology makes driving easier and enhances the smart driving experience, ensuring the car understands each user’s needs for a personalized journey.” I’m not sure what that means. Learning from user behavior? What kind of behavior, and how much is it learning?

Yes, I do think Xpeng is ahead of almost every other automaker on developing driver-assist technology, but, like with Tesla’s FSD, I don’t think it matters much until Xpeng achieves true robotaxi capability and service arrives.

The second big thing was the claim that the P7+ can “easily accommodate 33 carry-on suitcases with the rear seats folded down.” Seriously, 33 suitcases?!?!?! I’d have to see it to believe it.

Overall, though, it’s simply a nice, sleek, high-tech electric car. And that should find buyers.

“The P7+ integrates advanced AI technology across the chassis, powertrain, driving system, smart cockpit, and XPENG’s AI Hawkeye Visual Solution, making intelligent driving an essential feature of the future mobility experience,” the company writes.

As the world’s first AI-defined vehicle, one of the missions of the P7+ is to enable more legacy car users to experience the joy of intelligent electric driving. The key highlights of XPENG P7+ technology are:

• • Features advanced ADAS standard on all lineups, with no fees or subscriptions, constantly evolving through OTA updates.
  • Adopts XPENG AI Hawkeye Visual Solution, powered by end-to-end AI large models, it enhances the understanding of time and space in surrounding environments, while improving precision, range, and color resolution.
  • Offers a spacious interior surpassing that of an SUV, easily accommodating 33 carry-on suitcases with the rear seats folded down.
  • With the standard 800V high-voltage SiC platform from XPENG G9 and G6, the P7+ not only delivers exceptional ultra-fast charging but also achieves an impressive energy consumption of just 11.6 kWh/100 km, outclassing others in its segment.
  • Equipped with two 8M cameras (front and rear), millimeter-wave radars, and ultrasonic radars, it delivers smart driving performance comparable to previous solutions that relied on costly LiDAR systems and HD map coverage.
  • Provides clearer, more accurate, and longer-range vision and perception, allowing the in-car computer to function effectively even in low-light, backlit, and high-contrast lighting conditions.
  • Has a sense of time and space and recognizes various road signs and traffic signal systems across different cities, ensuring functionality in diverse urban environments.

Will all of these features and improvements pull in a lot more Xpeng buyers? Or will the P7+ be a niche vehicle in Xpeng’s lineup and in the broader EV market as a whole?

Xpeng also noted that it’s now in 30 countries and regions, including selling cars in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Iceland, Spain, and Portugal. Nonetheless, it’s still got expansion plans in mind. The company plans to be in 60 markets by the end of next year.

“The company has successfully launched three vehicles in Europe — the sleek P7 sedan, the popular G9 flagship SUV, and the ultra-smart G6 coupe SUV — each receiving Euro NCAP 5-star safety ratings.”

All images courtesy of Xpeng.