Caoyuan from Co-pilot Temple
Reference for Intelligent Cars | WeChat Official Account AI4Auto
The delivery of XPeng P7i has officially started.
As a modified version of XPeng’s champion model, P7, P7i has almost won all the praises, and also equipped with almost all the most advanced intelligent configurations, even in the price range of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, it has almost blocked the road of Xiaomi’s first smart car.
Some people exclaimed that there is not much surprise left for Xiaomi’s first car, which is going to be launched next year.
How to explain this? Does it make sense? Maybe we can observe from three aspects:
First, what kind of car is XPeng P7i?
Second, what are the features and selling points of Xiaomi’s first car?
Third, with strong competitors, where can Xiaomi’s first car create surprise?
What kind of car is XPeng P7i?
XPeng P7i is a mid-term modified model.
Before this, P7 has already proved its product strength with sales volume.
The success factors of P7 have been continued in P7i. For example, the high-end coupe appearance with a sleek design, the driving control oriented vehicle handling, and this time the modified version even has been upgraded to the racing level.
The selling points of P7 have been strengthened to the latest generation level on P7i.
On the one hand, it boasts pure battery life, such as the four versions (CLTC) of XPeng P7i: 702 Pro, 702 Max, 610 Max Performance Edition, and 610 Pengyi Performance Edition. All series support fast charging. The recharge time from 10% to 80% battery capacity takes only 29 minutes, and 10 minutes of charging gives an additional range of up to 240 kilometers.
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On the other hand, intelligence. The cabin is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155P, and the intelligent driving is just like a new car——
Orin-X flagship chip, dual lidar on board, together with 5mm wave radar, 12 ultrasonic radar and 12 camera redundant sensing scheme, directly brings P7i’s intelligent driving to the XNGP level.
What is XPeng’s XNGP?
Without relying on high-precision maps, it can achieve end-to-end all-scenario intelligent assisted driving relying on vehicle-side transmission capability, connecting urban, highway and parking domains.
Globally, only XPeng and Tesla FSD can achieve the three-domain integrated intelligent driving capability on mass-produced vehicles for delivery.
Previously, XPeng’s intelligent driving product experience was well-recognized in the NGP mode on highways, and it also realized parking floor-crossing memory parking in parking scenarios.
Therefore, from the perspective of intelligence, XPeng P7i, with its strengths highlighted and weaknesses avoided after the facelift, has become the new benchmark among intelligent coupe models.
For those players who have clearly oriented towards smart car making and made it their selling point, the problem becomes very practical and direct: only by being more competitive than P7i can they avoid defeat.
And in the pressure brought about by this new benchmark, Xiaomi’s first car leads off the competition.
Why is Xiaomi’s first car leading the competition?
Because from the announcement of car-making, Xiaomi has made it clear that it is making smart cars.
And Lei Jun has already declared that the first battle is the final battle, and all relevant intelligent capabilities need to be fully deployed by 2024. These intelligent capabilities, including intelligent driving and intelligent cabin, are two major areas.Therefore, from the current revealed progress of Xiaomi’s car-making, XPeng P7i is almost a direct competitor.
Based on the available information, Xiaomi’s first car is positioned as a medium-sized electric sports sedan, adopting a multi-sensor redundant scheme with a laser radar to achieve a three-domain fusion smart driving experience, including city, highway, and parking.
The intelligent cockpit has not been revealed much at present. It is certain that it adopts the same horizontally suspended central control large screen as XPeng P7i. Although the voice interaction has not been officially announced, it is basic to confirm that it will be the in-car version of Xiao Ai, and the chip hardware is likely to be the old friend, Qualcomm Snapdragon flagship cockpit chip.
In addition, as the most intuitive exterior design for car sales, the design chart exposed by Xiaomi presents a sleek back design. Some people think it looks like a Porsche, while others think it looks like a Mercedes-Benz sports sedan – similar to the evaluation XPeng P7 received when it was first launched.
Most importantly, before XPeng P7i, XPeng P7 received a rigorous test of 130,000 sales, while Xiaomi’s first car, as the decisive battle in the first war, cannot afford to fail.
However, the most worthy of attention is that in the coupe models priced between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan, XPeng P7i was originally facing more fierce market competition than when P7 was released.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most fiercely competitive track in China.
In this price range, BYD Han, BYD Dolphin, Tesla Model 3, Changan Deep Blue SLO3… all are best-selling products that have been market-tested, and none of them are easy to contend with.
Among them, BYD Han, with a price range of 217,800 to 331,800 yuan, has both pure electric and hybrid versions, and its sales in 2022 exceeded 270,000. Moreover, BYD Han EV also launched a championship edition priced at 209,800 to 299,800 yuan this year, which reduces the price while simultaneously upgrading the configuration to increase competitiveness.
“BYD Han” – BYD Qin Plus, priced at RMB 209,800 – RMB 289,800. It was launched in August last year, and the sales volume exceeded 51,000 in the first five months after the release.
Tesla Model 3, priced at RMB 229,900 – RMB 329,900, with sales volume of 120,000 in 2022. Although the sales volume has declined under the pressure of Model Y, the January sales volume increased by 323.7% year on year after the price cut at the beginning of the year. It proves that there are still many people willing to pay for Tesla.
There is also Changan Blue Whale SL03, which has a pure electric and extended-range version, priced at RMB 171,900 – RMB 221,900. It was launched in July last year and the sales volume exceeded 25,000 in the first six months after the release. In addition, in this year, the cumulative sales volume of Changan Blue Whale SL03 exceeded 10,000 in two months.
What’s worth noting is that the pure electric version of Changan Blue Whale SL03 has a range of 515km and is priced at RMB 189,900, and the version with a range of 705km is priced at RMB 221,900.
The pure electric version of the above models also has a range of 650 km, and there are also extended-range model types.
Of course, this is just a matter of coupes staking their claim on the market. When considering dimensions in accordance with price, there will be more SUV models within the same price range that have an advantage in terms of space.
Equally noteworthy is that the current main selling point for new energy vehicles, intelligent features, has not yet demonstrated its competitiveness in the market.
At least the popular models such as the XPeng P7 and Tesla Model 3 have not clearly demonstrated the differentiated capacity of advanced intelligent features. Or, perhaps the sales figures of products such as those from BYD that cannot be explained are just due to the continued market education on automotive intelligence.
Whether this “educational stage” can be transformed into a differentiated competitive edge and sales appeal for Xiaomi’s first car is still up in the air and no one can make any guarantees.
Even the XPeng P7i is facing more pressure than the P7 itself, let alone the first car from Xiaomi.
What other surprises can Xiaomi’s first car bring?
Although the environment is harsh, it does not mean there is no space.
Xiaomi’s first car still has the potential to provide surprises.
Firstly, its power form. It is still unknown whether Xiaomi’s first car will be a pure electric vehicle, extended range or hybrid. If it is not a completely electric version, there are still “loopholes” for the endurance replenishment capability.
Secondly, the high-voltage platform. Although the XPeng P7i is called a “redesign but like a new car,” it is still not equipped with the latest 800V platform for reasons such as cost, resulting in a gap in super-fast charging capability.
Thirdly, overall performance. Xiaomi was initially known for its cost-effective and high-performance configurations for smartphones. In the smart car field, there is still room for surprises in terms of high-speed chip computing power and vehicle performance capabilities.
Fourthly, it is still the exterior design, or at least the exterior design with the Xiaomi logo. After all, if the Mi Fans are the main force for car purchase, it is basic name recognition and influence that are leading the charge.
Finally, the price. Cars are not like phones, even the most devoted Mi Fans still need money to buy cars.
Currently, the XPeng P7i covers a range from CNY 249,900 to CNY 339,900. The pricing for Xiaomi’s first car can only be low and not high. After all, there is one long-established popular model with guaranteed performance and service, and another is the first model from a company that ventures into car manufacturing. Whether XPeng or Xiaomi, it should not be difficult for users to make a choice.“`
There may also be a few who want both, but it is definitely a minority, unless – Xiaomi and XPeng, Lei Jun and He XPeng, brothers join hands.
That joking joke will become a reality.
Xiaomi and XPeng merge, Lei Jun says we will take the “xiao” from XPeng and the “mi” from Xiaomi, and the new brand will be called Xiaomi.
He XPeng quickly conceded and suggested to take the “xiao” from Xiaomi and the “peng” from XPeng, and call it “XPeng.”
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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.