China's Tesla Challenger Xpeng Opens Reservations in Europe for its New Mass Market P5 Electric Sedan

author: Eric Walz   

The Xpeng P5 sedan will now be available to customers in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Electric vehicle startup XPeng Inc. continues its expansion outside of its home country of China as it looks to become a global electric car company like Tesla.

The company has just opened reservations for its new P5 sedan in Europe. It is the third vehicle that Xpeng is selling to customers in Europe, following the previous exports of the G3 SUV and flagship P7 smart sedan to Norway.

Reservations for Xpeng's new P5 sedan are being opened simultaneously in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The move marks a major milestone for XPeng's European expansion plans.

The rising EV adoption rate in all four of the European countries makes them attractive markets for XPeng. The Tesla Model 3 sedan for example, is the most popular EV in Norway right now and the country's EV sales make up nearly two thirds of all vehicle sales. 

"The XPENG P5's arrival in four key European markets is a new demonstration of our commitment to Europe," said Leon He, Vice President of Xpeng. "Each new Xpeng model achieves a new level of technology sophistication. The P5 brings a host of differentiated features to a new customer base in Europe, a market where we are building ourselves as a long-term player."

Xpeng's P5 is a mid-size family sedan. It features Xpeng's in-house developed advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) called "XPILOT", along with an intelligent in-car operating system dubbed "Xmart OS". The P5 is also the world's first production vehicle to come equipped with automotive-grade lidar technology to support XPILOT.

The P5 supports over-the-air updates, so each system stays up to date with the latest software.

The P5 combines XPILOT with a high level of passenger comfort and convenience. The Xmart vehicle OS includes a 12.3-inch LCD dashboard, a 15.6-inch high resolution large center display, in-car voice control capable of distinguishing between driver and passenger positions, and a library of available in-car apps to entertain both the driver and passengers. 

The P5 is powered by a battery of 66 kWh capacity and offers an WLTP range of 465 km (289 miles).

To coincide with the European launch of the P5, XPeng is also opening its first "Experience Store" in the Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. It's the company's second branded showroom in Europe, following the opening of the Xpeng Experience Store in Stockholm, Sweden last month.

The showrooms allow customers to see the vehicles up close and in-person, as well as learn more about Xpeng's advanced EV technology. 

Xpeng's customer reservation process in Europe is fully-digitized, and accessible in each of these four markets, both via the Xpeng official websites and the Xpeng mobile smartphone app launched earlier this week.

Xpeng announced last month it reached strategic partnerships in both the Netherlands and Sweden to market and sell its vehicles. 

The company announced it has reached a strategic agency retail collaboration agreement with automotive retail company Emil Frey Nederland NV ("Emil Frey") for the Netherlands market. 

Emil Frey is one of the largest automotive retail organizations in the Netherlands and represents 14 different car brands in the country, including global automakers Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Honda and others. 

Emil Frey was tapped to develop XPENG's sales and service network while managing the company's branded retail stores throughout the Netherlands. Through the partnership, XPeng's customers will benefit from consistent online pricing and access to Emil Frey's well-established vehicle service and distribution network.

In Sweden, Xpeng has a retail collaboration agreement with Bilia, the largest automobile dealer and distributor in the Scandinavian country and one of largest car dealers in all of Europe. Bilia sells vehicles from Volvo, BMW, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Porsche, Nissan and others. Bilia's retail network includes 58 dealers and 66 service centers in Sweden. 

To further support its expansion in Europe, XPeng said it will open more of its own retail stores in Europe. The automaker plans to build a combination of self-operated retail stores, alongside the retail and service locations operated by Emil Frey and Bilia. 

The two automotive retailers are helping China-based Xpeng to market its electric vehicles in Europe with their deep local knowledge, well-established networks and customer know-how.

Xpeng's new "Experience Store" in the Westfield Mall of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. (Photo: XPENG Inc.)

Xpeng's global expansion kicked off when it shipped its electric G3 SUV to Norway in Sept 2020.  It marked the first time the EV startup sold its electric vehicles outside of its home country. The G3 was Xpeng's first offering and it launched in 2018 in the China market.

In Aug 2021, XPeng started shipping its flagship P7 sedan to Norway. The P7 is a strong competitor to Tesla's Model S. It was the first time that XPeng sold its flagship P7 sedan outside China.

As one of the leading EV startups in China, XPeng says it sees tremendous opportunities to expand to global markets. The expansion to the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden is the next step in the company's strategy to expand its presence outside of China as its looks to better compete with segment leader Tesla in global markets.

Xpeng's more affordable EVs offer the same level of technology, including autonomous driving capabilities, for around half the price of a comparably equipped Tesla model in the China market.

Xpeng also continues to gain market share in its home country of China. The company delivered 12,992 vehicles during the month of January. It was Xpeng's fifth consecutive month of over 10,000 EV deliveries and represented a 115% increase year-over-year. 

As of Jan 31, 2022, XPeng's cumulative deliveries surpassed 150,000 vehicles.

Xpeng is a U.S. listed company. The startup launched its IPO in Aug 2020 as a way to raise capital from investors. The company's shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "XPEV".

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.