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Xpeng is finally shipping the P7, China’s Tesla Model 3 rival

  • The Xpeng P7 is cheaper and has a longer range than Tesla’s most affordable electric vehicle
  • Xpeng has been fending off accusations that it stole autonomous driving tech from Tesla

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Deliveries of Xpeng’s new P7 sports sedan officially started on Sunday as the Chinese EV maker seeks to take on Tesla. (Picture: Handout)

Tesla is best known as the leading electric vehicle maker worldwide. But it’s also seen enormous success in China, selling more new energy vehicles than any other company in China last month. Now a local challenger has a new vehicle taking on the Tesla Model 3, and it bests the American company’s cars on both price and range.

Chinese EV startup Xpeng announced on Sunday that it’s started nationwide deliveries of its newest P7 sports sedan, which starts at a price of 229,900 yuan (US$32,470) after subsidies. The Tesla Model 3 starts at 271,550 yuan (US$38,350) after subsidies.

The P7 also boasts a longer driving range on a single charge. Xpeng says the P7 can reach 706 kilometers, compared with 668 kilometers for the Model 3.

While Xpeng is just one of many local Tesla wannabes trying to corner the EV market, it has a more bitter rivalry with Tesla than other competitors. Tesla has previously accused the company of procuring trade secrets, which the company denies.

Outside just vehicles, the Guangzhou-based automaker might be hoping its sales and services network will help give it a boost. The company says it has 190 stores across 57 cities in China.

Nevertheless, dethroning Tesla could be an uphill battle. The Model 3 has proven popular in China, where Tesla started producing the car at its Shanghai Gigafactory at the end of last year. In May, the Palo Alto, California-based company beat out all its rivals in China by selling 11,095 vehicles, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
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