China’s AI-Powered Tesla Rival is Now on Sale

Chinese automaker XPeng has launched what it says is the world’s first “AI-defined” vehicle, the new P7+ electric SUV-coupe.

The P7+, which might be considered a cheaper rival to Tesla’s Model 3, is now in showrooms across China hoping to attract customers with what are claimed to be “groundbreaking” AI-powered intelligent driving capability and smart cockpit experiences.

It’s the combination of these – both incorporating large AI models, constituting a first on a production car – that underscores XPeng’s confident claims for the P7+.

The benefit of this, says XPeng, is the capability to learn from users’ behaviors and preferences, enhancing each journey and allowing the car to provide a fully personalized, tailored experience.

Explaining the company’s vision, XPeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said: “In traditional cars, being premium has often been defined by design and features, but in the era of AI-defined vehicles, true premium quality is inseparable from intelligent technology.”

On the road, the AI-powered advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) features the latest version of XPeng’s XOS software plus its AI Hawkeye Visual Solution – which includes cameras, millimeter-wave radars and ultrasonic radars.

The tech is offered on all models across the range, with regular over-the-air updates delivering a constantly evolving experience. There are no subscription fees.

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The cabin, meanwhile, makes use of Qualcomm’s SA8295P system-on-a-chip and X-Peng’s proprietary X-GPT model, enabling voice commands and what are said to be “natural voice interactions.”

The high-tech environment also features three screens – a 15.6-inch central control, a 10.25-inch instrument display and an eight-inch rear entertainment screen.

Deliveries are already under way, with prices at launch starting from RMB 186,800 (broadly $26,000).  However, it is unlikely the P7+ will be restricted to sales in its homeland, with XPeng presenting the car at the recent Paris auto show in France, where Xiaopeng He pledged: “Xpeng is committed to Europe. We continue to invest in R&D to expand our vehicle portfolio and deliver innovative intelligent technology to the European market.”

And providing a teaser of what is to come, the CEO continued: “XPeng cars today assist drivers with advanced ADAS, and in the near future they will make autonomous decisions, becoming a driver’s companion or a mobile butler, revolutionizing the mobility experience for our global customers.”

The company has also confirmed that its Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) tech, which offers unlimited coverage in China, is set to go global in 2025, having tested successfully in Germany earlier this year.

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