Author: Guo Hehe

From its debut nationwide to the announcement of pre-sale prices, XPeng finally brought the P5 back to their headquarters in Guangzhou. As a technology company, XPeng has introduced the most popular unboxing experience in the tech industry, showcasing its interior and unique new ideas for the first time.

When it comes to XPeng P5, many people think of its dual lidar, but what I am more interested in is XPeng’s concept of the third space.

In fact, as a means of transportation, the concept of the car serving as a mobile space beyond being a means of getting around and becoming a home or office was first proposed 10 years ago, but at that time the concept only emphasized the comfort of the interior of the car, such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Buick GL8, etc.

To create the third space, XPeng has put forward three specific scenarios. I thought it was just a new force in the industry with some innovative gimmicks. As someone who has been in the industry for a long time, I thought it was just another case of you pretending to be coy and putting on a show. However, after experiencing it on-site, I found that XPeng’s engineers are really serious about it.

We take sleep seriously

XPeng’s engineers used the example of young Japanese people who live in their cars because they can’t afford a house, although I think the demand for this in the Chinese market is not that high at present, it doesn’t prevent the X-Sleep sleeping scene from becoming one of the distinctive product features of the XPeng P5.

For traditional fuel vehicles, sleeping in the car is a very dangerous thing. Every year, there are many accidents caused by CO poisoning from emissions, and idling engines can cause carbon residue, causing guilt when used. New energy vehicles do not have this concern, so creating a sleeping space inside the car, the XPeng P5 has a natural advantage. Of course, due to the limitation of the layout of the car seats, it is not very comfortable to create a completely flat sleeping space by folding the seats down. To solve this problem, XPeng engineers have come up with a solution: a bed.

Not just an ordinary mattress or a thin air mattress, but a real bed. You read that right. XPeng’s engineers put a lot of thought into selecting a bed, comparing various options for the best fabric and comfort, and ultimately deciding on the current bedding set through trial sleeps. All accompanying products have been exclusively customized so that all peripheral items can be properly placed and used. Although sleeping in the car is not the ultimate goal, imagine the pleasure of having a comfortable environment to recharge during a noisy and changeable workday, instead of being in an office?## Why not enjoy the Olympics in my car?

The recent Olympic events are in full swing, but can’t find a good way to enjoy them with friends? XPeng P5’s solution is X-Play entertainment scene.

Watching live broadcasts in the car is actually quite cool because you can do it anytime, anywhere with a safe place to park. But if you rely on the central control screen in the car for live broadcasting, the viewing experience is not great. What if you bring a projector into the car? Similar to the sleep scene, you can lay down comfortable bedding by folding down the seats, using the equipped XGIMI custom ultra-clear car-mounted projector, connecting Bluetooth to the in-car sound system, and combining the in-car refrigerator and ambient scents, the experience is still quite good. After all, you can rest in place when you get tired of watching, who else can beat this besides home?

Outdoor Space for Outdoor Enthusiasts

The last one is the X-GO outdoor scene.

We are all very familiar with this scene. Taking advantage of the electric vehicle, the P5 supports the V2L reverse charging device, can connect various devices such as speakers, electric hot pots, and electric ovens outdoors, and supports DJI Mavic 2 Pro car-integration. Coupled with the in-car refrigerator and bedding, you don’t need me to elaborate on how to play outdoors, do you?

Throughout the article, XPeng’s idea is very good and also takes into account a certain degree of practicality in daily life. However, I believe that these spatial application needs are only a part of car usage and will not become the main reason for purchasing the P5, let alone the option of the entire set starting at least at 10,000 yuan, which I reckon the consumers who pay for it will still be in the minority.This is something that XPeng is aware of, and as stated by their representatives in the introduction, “We hope that you buy the P5 so that you have a flexible third space, not so that you can sleep in the car. That would be a confusion of priorities.” From the official pre-sale price announced on July 17th, the P5’s subsidized price range is between 160,000 and 230,000 yuan, which includes many excellent joint venture brands, even B-class cars from joint venture brands. Would you be willing to pay for this “icing on the cake” of a new energy car or would you stick to the embrace of traditional fuel vehicles?

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.