Chinese automaker XPeng has officially begun its first venture overseas as it has loaded its P7 EVs on a ship headed for Norway. This initial batch of smart electric sedans represents XPeng’s commitment to a full-scale operation in Norway and an eventual expansion further into Europe.
Xiaopeng, or XPeng Motors ($XPEV), is a Chinese EV manufacturer founded in 2014 headquartered in Guangzhou. The company went public last summer on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), raising $1.5 billion. Since 2018, XPeng Motors has launched two EVs: the G3 SUV, followed by the P7 sedan in 2019.
This was followed by recent coverage by Electrek that XPeng would be debuting a new sedan called the P5. While it is only accepting pre-orders at this time, XPeng has aggressively priced the new P5 in China to capture more consumers who might be in the market for a similarly sized Tesla Model 3. Currently, the P5 is priced at about $14,000 less than the Model 3 in China.
Speaking of Tesla, XPeng has gotten into previous trouble with the EV competitor for allegedly copying designs and even stealing source code. That lawsuit was eventually settled, however.
After beginning its first move to Europe with the G3 SUV last year, XPeng has officially begun loading up its P7 EVs for deliveries to Norway. This will be the second XPeng EV model to leave China.
XPeng P7 customer deliveries in Norway expected in Q4 of 2021
According to a recent press release from Xpeng Motors, it has begun shipping the first batch of its P7 EV sedans from Guangzhou to Norway. This marks the first time the P7 will reach a market outside China, joining its SUV sibling, the G3.
While the P7s make their slow trek across the globe via ship, XPeng is working to further establish its presence in Norway that covers everything holistically from customer experience, sales, delivery, service, charging and lifestyle facilities. Chairman and CEO of XPeng, He Xiaopeng, explained:
We are dedicated to meeting the growing customer demand for our smart EVs in China and internationally by bringing the most sophisticated and stylish models to our customers. We are seeing smart EVs not only redefining driver experience with their innovative functions and differentiated services, but also offering the potential to fundamentally transform mobility behavior. We are eager to bring these advanced capabilities and services to our international customers in highly localized forms.
The move to begin in Norway as an initial market outside of China makes sense for young EV automakers like XPeng, as well as competitors with similar strategies like NIO.
According to XPeng, Norway currently has the highest level of electric vehicle penetration in the world. Plug-in EVs accounted for 84.7% of new auto sales in July 2021, and 64.1% of that number was for BEVs.
XPeng expects to deliver its P7 electric sedan to its first Norwegian companies sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. Stay tuned to Electrek for the latest coverage of Chinese EV automakers expanding their presence into other global markets.
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Author: Scooter Doll
Source: Electrek
