Author: Shidi

Following G3 and P7, XPeng launched another heavyweight product this year-P5.

It neither has the off-road capability of XPeng G3 nor the sporty style of XPeng P7, but it seems to better understand the current needs of consumers. Because it can serve as a commuting car, a family car for transporting children, and even a “small RV” for mobile cinema and living room, and most importantly, it is equipped with a laser radar that can achieve centimeter-level high-precision ranging. In short, it has both intelligent technology and versatile space.

XPeng P5 has a total of six models, and three battery versions are available, namely 55.9 kWh (460 km), 66.2 kWh (550 km), 71.4 kWh (600 km), respectively, with a price range of 157,900 to 223,900 yuan.

Now there is a promotion that a deposit of 5,000 yuan can be used as a discount of 10,000 yuan, which is equivalent to a discount of 5,000 yuan on the current price.

Regarding the XPeng P5 product itself, I believe everyone has heard of it. Today I mainly want to discuss with you whether this XPeng P5, which has been compared with a group of B-class household sedans such as Camry and Magotan many times at the press conference, can stand firm in the B-class household sedan market.

So, this point has to start from the potential user group of XPeng P5.

Car Purchase Demand in Fourth-tier Cities

In some small 3rd- and 4th-tier cities, the most important demand for consumers when purchasing cars is simply for commuting. There is no need for long endurance or assisted driving, and the selling point is only cheap and low cost of use, which is the most sought-after feature.

The entry-level model of XPeng P5 has a bare car price of 152,900 yuan (discounted by deposit), although this price is not cheaper than the entry-level models of Aiways AION S, Geometry A, etc.

However, if the budget is relatively sufficient, the difference of 10,000 to 20,000 yuan can be used to obtain a larger vehicle size, more comfortable interior space, and also a standard Xmart OS 3.0 infotainment system, which is the most powerful and best-performing system in this class.On the contrary, compared with same-level fuel vehicles, the small Xpeng P5 can almost catch up with popular B-class family sedans such as the Accord and Camry.

In addition to the advantages of space and cabin intelligence mentioned earlier, the Xpeng P5, as an electric car, also has an ultra-low cost of use, which is an undeniable advantage.

Even Xpeng Motors now gives away 3,000 degrees of free charging for each Xpeng P5, and even if calculated on the high side, with a power consumption of 15 degrees per 100 kilometers, 3,000 degrees is enough to run 20,000 kilometers. I believe this mileage is enough to meet the daily travel needs of most users for one year.

Of course, as a pure electric vehicle, the Xpeng P5 is also subject to restrictions on long-distance travel due to its range.

Therefore, overall, the Xpeng P5 is not completely invincible in the face of the demand of this market, but it is also a very competitive product.

Experience intelligent cars at the lowest price

To be honest, to many people, advanced driving functions like NOP and NGP are still regarded as high-end configurations, and models equipped with such functions often cost more than 300,000 RMB.

However, the Xpeng P5 not only brings the models with NGP under 200,000 RMB, but also models with lidar and urban NGP under 220,000 RMB.

And as soon as you hear the name Xpeng P5, I believe everyone has heard the phrase “the world’s first mass-produced car equipped with lidar”. What can be proven is that this is not an exaggeration in advertising.

So in terms of this budget and demand, the Xpeng P5 can be said to be the only choice.

More importantly, under such demand and budget, the Xpeng P5 also provides enough power, superior space and the strongest car system.

Enjoy comprehensive functions with less money

With a set of top configurations such as lidar, sleep space, refrigerator, fragrance, solar energy, etc., the price of the Xpeng P5 has risen to around 240,000 RMB.If we look at the perspective of the 240,000 car buyers, the XPeng P5 is indeed not cheap, and it may not even be a viable option. Moreover, for a family car, solar panels and LiDAR are not particularly essential functions, but if you want to experience these features, the XPeng P5 may be the product you are most likely to be exposed to.

After all, there is also Gaohua in this category, but its starting price is CNY 570,000.

Looking at these three aspects, XPeng P5 can definitely have the potential and ability to grab sales in the B-class car market, such as Camry.

Of course, many people may also think that few people buy new energy vehicles compared to traditional fuel vehicles due to “range anxiety”. However, in fact, the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China in August has reached nearly 20%, which is equivalent to taking away one-fifth of the cake from fuel vehicles.

Moreover, XPeng P5 itself has obvious product advantages. In short, except for the devilish operation of being able to drive 2,000 kilometers in a day, it can do everything Camry can. After all, its charging time is several times faster than Camry’s. But can Camry do what XPeng P5 can do? No, it can’t.

When you can’t rest or play in the car, you can’t turn the car into a mobile power source when you go on a self-driving tour and have a barbecue with an induction cooker, let alone intelligent driving assistance/connected vehicle. It is not enough to cater to the needs of young people.

Conclusion

To be honest, in this CNY 200,000 level, XPeng P5 has unparalleled advantages compared to other products, whether they are fuel vehicles or new energy vehicles. If you have a budget of around CNY 180,000 to 220,000, are interested in embracing new technologies, and have charging conditions at home, compared to traditional mid-range fuel vehicles, the XPeng P5 is indeed a unique choice.

Of course, if your budget is below CNY 180,000, the XPeng P5 without the XPILOT 3.5 system may not be as attractive, and you can consider some entry-level models of B-class cars at this price point.

Based on the orders record in the first 24 hours of the release of the P5 model by XPeng Motors, it seems that over 90% of the vehicles were equipped with the XPLIOT 3.0/3.5 hardware, which demonstrates the distinct advantage of XPeng P5 in this “terminator of traditional fuel-powered family cars” market.

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.