Xpeng’s store traffic and test drives have reached new highs in recent months following the launch of the P7i, the company’s management said earlier this month.
(Image credit: Xpeng)
Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) has begun deliveries of the P7i in China, where the sedan was officially launched earlier this month.
Xpeng recently began the first deliveries of the P7i, a facelift of its flagship P7 sedan, in seven cities, according to an article posted yesterday by the electric vehicle (EV) maker on its mobile app.
The seven cities are Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Chongqing, where Xpeng held the P7i delivery ceremonies, according to the article.
Xpeng did not disclose the number of P7i vehicles that were delivered in the first batch.
The P7i is the shortest time between the official launch and delivery of any Xpeng model, as the company may be concerned that keeping consumers waiting too long could lead to lost orders.
Xpeng officially launched the P7i in China on March 10, offering only four versions with a starting price of RMB 249,900 ($36,390).
The Xpeng P7i continues to be built on the regular 400 V platform, rather than the 800 V high-voltage platform used by the G9.
However, the P7i’s maximum charging power has been increased from its predecessor’s 90 kW to 175 kW, and can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in 29 minutes.
The Pro version of the Xpeng P7i comes standard with an Nvidia Orin-X Smart Drive chip with 254 TOPS of computing power. The Max version of the model comes standard with two Orin-X chips as well as two LiDARs.
The P7i’s predecessor, the P7, was the Xpeng’s main seller for a long time, selling 59,066 units in 2022, contributing 49 percent of the Xpeng’s annual sales of 120,757 units, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.
Following the launch of the P7i, Xpeng’s store traffic and test drives have reached new highs in recent months, He Xiaopeng, the company’s chairman and CEO, said during a March 17 analyst call after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings.
The P7i has been well received by customers for its smart features, styling and performance, as well as its other clear advantages against similar products, he said.
Amid the market’s prevailing weakness in new order intake, Xpeng outperformed the market with a 100 percent increase in new orders in February compared to the previous month, Mr. He said.
With the strong momentum in orders following the official launch of the P7i, Xpeng expects total new orders in March to grow significantly month-on-month, he said, adding that this marks the company’s initial success following a comprehensive transformation, which has also boosted morale.
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