The list of Chinese car brands with European ambitions is given a name again. This time it is Xpeng that indicates that it wants to sink its teeth into the European car market. The brand is the first to bring the G3 to Europe. You guessed it: that’s an electric SUV.
“The Chinese are coming!” is sometimes called out. Although car brands such as Landwind and Qoros have not exactly ensured Chinese success in Europe – Qoros never even entered the market here, despite its ambitions – the rise of the electric car has opened the gates to the European market. MG has sold relatively large numbers of the ZS EV in the Netherlands and Norway in a short time, but there is much more in the pipeline. Aiways is working on the European rollout of the U5, Maxus sells Chinese company cars and then you also have the Polestar-related Lynk & Co, which has the desire to get a substantial portion of the European electric car pie on their plate. The list continues with Seres, BYD, Nio, Byton and Hongqi coming to Europe and today Xpeng joins them.
Xpeng G3 (interior)
Xpeng is a brand founded in 2014 by two former board members of the Chinese GAC Group that only deals with electric cars. According to the English Autocar, Xpeng will bring its first production model to Norway this month. Later next year, Xpeng will also target the rest of Europe. The first-born is the G3, an electric SUV that is for sale in China with a 50.5 kWh and 65.5 kWh battery pack with which a range (NEDC) of around 400 and 520 kilometers should be achievable. On a DC charger, the version with the largest package can be charged from 30 to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes.
The G3 has various cameras and sensors with which the SUV semi-autonomous – level 2.5 as Xpeng calls it – can go through traffic. The car can park itself and has a digital assistant on board that you can chat to. The Xpeng G3 has an electric motor on the front axle that is 197 hp and 300 Nm strong. It has a speed of 100 km / h on the clock in 8.5 seconds. The top speed is 140 km / h. Standard equipment in China includes not only LED matrix viewers, but also automatic climate control, a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation and a 15.6-inch vertical display in the center console.
Xpeng’s only other car is the P7, an electric sedan with which Xpeng has aimed its arrows at the Tesla Model 3.