P5. Self-driving car from Chinese rival Tesla

P5. Self-driving car from Chinese rival Tesla

Chinese electric car maker Xpeng Motors has launched the P5, a new autonomous feature car as it looks to race in the highly competitive Chinese auto market.

The P5, Xpeng Motors' third production model and second sedan after the P7, adds another competitor to the Tesla 3 model in China's increasingly crowded electric car industry.


The Chinese company, competing for domestic players Nio and Li Auto, said it will release its pricing at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 19, indicating that the price of the P5 will be lower than that of the P7.

The price of the P7 starts at 229900 yuan after the subsidies, and by comparison, the Tesla Model 3 in China starts at 249900 yuan.

The P5 is supposed to roll out to customers in China in the third or fourth quarter of this year, and Xpeng Motors has expanded in Norway, its first international market.

The company said: It is expanding its presence in Northern Europe, and the P5 is being launched there, but without mentioning timetables as to when this will happen.

Xpeng Motors has added autonomous driving features to distinguish from its competitors, as the P5 is equipped with Lidar technology to assist the vehicle in distinguishing between pedestrians, cyclists, scooters and road works even at night and in low-light conditions.

The Chinese automaker has also released a new version of XPilot, the so-called Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS). This indicates a system that has some standalone features but a driver is still required.

XPilot 3.5 includes an updated version of NGP Navigation Guides, which allows users to independently perform tasks such as changing lanes or overtaking cars.

XPilot is an attempt to compete with Tesla's autopilot system, as well as other competitors such as Nio's Nio Pilot.

China's electric vehicle market is expected to rebound this year with 1.9 million units expected, up 51 percent year-on-year.

Various incentives from the government helped China become the largest market for electric cars in the world, and a number of emerging companies grew rapidly, such as: Xpeng, Nio, and Li Auto.

But these players are competing against the traditional automakers boosting the capabilities of electric cars as well as other tech companies that are taking part in the fighting.

Chinese research giant Baidu has teamed up with Geely to create an independent electric vehicle company, while the smartphone giant Xiaomi has announced plans to launch an electric vehicle company.

Last year, Xpeng Motors delivered 27,041 cars, more than double compared to 2019, and by comparison, Tesla sold more than 137,000 Model 3 cars in 2020 in China.