The All-New P7 Is XPeng’s Core Model and a Battle It Cannot Lose

Every car company has its own "destiny."

When mentioning XPeng, most people probably think of its most iconic product, which is pioneering in the domestic electric sports sedan market—the P7.

At this moment, I still vividly remember the amazement and shock brought by the debut of its first-generation model in April 2020. At that time, in the Chinese car market, the segment was dominated by the Tesla Model 3. The arrival of the P7 undoubtedly changed the situation where this American new energy vehicle company was the sole leader.

Of course, it was because of the P7 that XPeng truly gained a foothold. It is no exaggeration to say that it fully served as the so-called "foundation."

Borrowing from He Xiaopeng's words: "The P7 represents a pioneering spirit, introducing many firsts, such as the world's first mass-produced high-speed intelligent driving assistance system, the first innovative and mass-produced full-voice in-car system, the world's first pure electric range exceeding 700KM, as well as completely personalized and technologically integrated car lights, among others. The P7 actually symbolizes a spirit of daring to be first. Just as I never thought of creating a traditional car manufacturing company, the P7 embodies Xiaopeng. Its spirit represents our pursuit of future technology."

Based on this background, many people are eagerly anticipating what kind of answer the completely renewed P7, which has undergone five years of accumulation and development, will deliver.

And last night, the main subject of today's article officially unveiled its mystery.

Whether in terms of exterior styling, interior design, or intelligent features, everything has become more refined compared to its predecessor. The all-new P7 is definitely a pure electric coupe that will make you involuntarily take a second look.

Actually, as early as last July, its true appearance was seen in advance in a photo studio located in Shanghai.

At that time, it was firmly believed that the new generation P7 had already exemplified the concept of "inheriting while improving" through its actions, but there was still some hesitation regarding its positioning.

After more than 300 days, when seeing it again, not only can one feel that the new P7 is ready in terms of product preparation, but also finds that all doubts have completely disappeared.

"Many people have been frequently asking whether this car is meant to boost sales or to establish brand positioning. To be honest, I hadn't considered the question from this angle before. Every car has its own mission, and the new P7 represents our thinking, exploration, and practice of future technology, incorporating globally leading technologies. Objectively speaking, of course, I hope it becomes a best-selling product, but it certainly won't be the kind of affordable car that some of our friends are expecting. At this level of configuration, it's indeed unlikely to be a car made for everyone. It should be the dream car for extreme technological idealists, a highly praised ultimate fashion classic, and I hope everyone can understand."

On the eve of the global launch, He Xiaopeng elaborated on his thoughts about the all-new P7 in nearly 200 words. However, last night, the anticipated pre-sale price was not announced.

He Xiaopeng explained, "Wait until the end of the month for the final decision when it goes public."

The entire new P7 series comes standard with dual-chamber air suspension, three Turing chips, and a maximum range of 820 kilometers, which essentially means it won't be too cheap.

Blindly guessing, the final prices of the three versions will probably be around 249,800 yuan, 269,800 yuan, and 289,800 yuan. In a horizontal comparison, this directly targets the core territory of the Xiaomi SU7.

In my opinion, for the current XPeng, the task of increasing sales should be left to models like the MONA M03 and P7+, which primarily target the mass market. The role of the all-new P7 should be to demonstrate to the outside world that in the segment above 200,000 yuan, this new force in car manufacturing still possesses influence and authority.

Some things that were lost should be taken back.

Otherwise, once it gets stuck in the quagmire of long-term low-price competition, the damage to the brand is indeed too great. Starting with the new P7, XPeng must embark on the battle to reshape its image and return to its original intentions. The title of today's article is the greatest expectation and advice.

Honestly, the XPeng in my heart should be like the all-new P7, committed to originality, daring to explore, and touching people's hearts, rather than just relentlessly engaging in cutthroat competition.

Certainly, objectively speaking, maintaining the tone does not mean that terminal performance is not important. How to achieve "both volume and price increase" will be a significant challenge posed to the brand new P7.

At the same time, if the market for Chinese pure electric sports sedans was still a blue ocean when the first generation P7 was launched, the environment facing the new P7 now can only be described as harsh and brutal.

Among the numerous competing products, the biggest rival is undoubtedly Xiaomi SU7. Finding a way to survive and carve out a niche under the heavy pressure of this "big boss" will also be a lesson that today's protagonist must learn.

In the just concluded month of July, XPeng set a new record with 36,717 vehicle deliveries.

Nevertheless, looking deeper, the main supporting models are still the MONA M03 and P7+. Although the saying "It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat" holds true, they surely know clearly where the urgent pain points lie.

In other words, having a best-selling model in the market above 200,000 yuan is a crucial strategic anchor for it. After all, competing on cost, scale, and distribution channels, and engaging in fierce battles with traditional giants like BYD and Geely, is not what XPeng excels at.

Both emotionally and rationally, we hope the brand-new P7 can become a breakthrough point.

Last night, after the presale launch event, I also participated in a small-scale exclusive interview, and once again deeply felt He Xiaopeng's full confidence in the all-new P7.

"The old P7 is our totem. After five years of major upgrades, whether in exterior and interior design or in intelligent performance and many other aspects of the experience, the all-new P7 embodies XPeng's utmost sincerity. I hope it can once again become a totemic presence and return to being one of the top three pure electric sedans over 200,000 yuan."

The brand new P7 is expected to compete with Xiaomi SU7 and the revamped Tesla Model 3 for a share of the market.

During the entire interview, He Xiaopeng tried to avoid discussing "competitors," but many media outlets still posed similar questions to him: "How do you view the inevitable competition between the new P7 and Xiaomi SU7?"

"I think both products are made very well."

The slightly moderate response cannot conceal the existence of challenges. After the official launch of the all-new P7 at the end of the month, the Xiaomi SU7 will definitely be a name that is frequently mentioned. How to respond must be clarified.

In an exclusive interview, a statement from the lead designer of the all-new P7 is equally impressive: "Chinese companies can create good cars that lead the era and adhere to originality."

I fully agree with this. Next, the new P7 still has a lot to accomplish. Many mysteries and questions need to be explored and answered at the launch event, especially regarding pricing.

Once again, "It is crucial for XPeng, and it's a battle that cannot be lost."