- Xpeng says China will soon produce a product capable of surpassing the Tesla Model Y
- Co-founder He Xiaopeng says company not far from beating Tesla
- A technology-focused company wants to compete with premium European players
At the launch of Xpeng’s upcoming L03 EV in Munich this week, the company’s first simultaneous vehicle introduced in Europe and China, founder He Xiaopeng said he believed the brand was “not far from beating the Model Y,” according to the Financial Times.
Xpeng, which does not shy away from comparisons to Tesla, has always strived to be seen as more technology-focused than many of its closest Chinese rivals, with humanoid robots, artificial intelligence and eVTOL light electric aircraft also forming part of the company’s portfolio.
The L03, which is said to start at €35,600 (around $40,600/AU$58,000), features sporty SUV coupe styling, a 15.6-inch central infotainment screen, lounge-style seating and what the company calls its most advanced smart driving capabilities ever introduced to global markets.
“The L03 has the potential to be a blockbuster model in terms of volume driver and certainly one of the Model Y killers, but not he killer,” Lei Xing, founder of Chinese consulting firm AutoXing, told the Financial Times.
Having driven the company’s G6, which is clearly a rival to the Tesla Model Y in both exterior design and the technology it offers, I agree. I still think Tesla’s newly updated Model 3 and Model Y are the best cars to drive.
The software at the heart of those cars also offers a much more streamlined user experience.
Second, Tesla’s Supercharger ecosystem remains one of the cheapest and easiest to use in most markets today. Of course, it doesn’t offer the fastest charging speeds, but its convenience and reliability more than make up for it.
Spend any time in a Tesla or with Tesla owners, and they will attest to how simple the charging process is, from the fact that the vehicle plans trips based on range and charge status to the contactless billing process.
Analysis: catch up quickly
Having driven Xpeng products in Europe, I have been impressed by the speed at which the company has improved successive generations of its vehicles.
A tangible jump in the G6’s interior quality, faster charging speeds, and more powerful processing power overall made it much easier to live with, not to mention internal engineering updates that improved its drive.
The latest L03 is reported to go further with its VLA 2.0 (Vision Language-Action) software powering its Next Generation Pilot autonomous driving functionality. It will also be the first Chinese automaker to ship a vehicle with Google Maps integrated.
But even with this, it’s hard to see Xpeng achieving the simplicity of Tesla’s software and ownership experience. That philosophy was built into the company’s DNA, and the Model S quickly became regarded as the iPhone of the electric vehicle world when it launched about 14 years ago.
Xpeng is certainly making waves in the EV industry, but there were only 900 registrations of the G6 in the UK during its first 10 months on sale, compared to 24,298 Tesla Model Ys.
Sales in Europe were more impressive, but the Model Y remains the best-selling electric vehicle in many parts of the world, as well as the second most popular in China.
The L03 may be approaching “Tesla killer” status, but it seems like Xpeng still has a mountain to climb when it comes to convincing customers that it offers a superior EV ownership experience.
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