The Xpeng P5 was the world's first production car to feature LiDAR when it went on sale on September 15, 2021, and now it's eliminating the component.
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Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) is continuing to remake models from its past, launching a facelift of the P5 sedan with radical changes, after launching a facelift of its flagship SUV, the G9, just last week.
The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker announced today the launch of the 2024 Xpeng P5, which was not previously teased. Its other sedan is the flagship P7, whose facelifted P7i was launched in March this year.
Xpeng is offering just two options for the new P5 -- the Xpeng P5 500 Plus and the Xpeng P5 500 Pro -- making the model available with the fewest options in the company's history.
The Xpeng P5 previously offered five options:
Xpeng P5 460G+ with a starting price of RMB 156,900 ($21,480).
Xpeng P5 460E+, with a starting price of RMB 174,900.
Xpeng P5 550G, starting at RMB 170,900.
Xpeng P5 550E, starting at RMB 188,900.
Xpeng P5 550P, starting at RMB 202,900.
In Xpeng's model designation, the number in addition to the model stands for its CLTC range.
The new P5 removes the three versions with a range of 550 kilometers and offers only two versions both with a CLTC range of 500 kilometers.
The two versions of the new P5 are priced the same as the two previously available versions with a range of 460 kilometers, at RMB 156,900 and RMB 174,900 respectively.
In addition to the reduction in available versions, Xpeng has also completely eliminated the LiDAR option for the P5, a component that was previously available in some higher trims of the model.
The Xpeng P5 initially went on sale on September 15, 2021, and a key focus of the company's marketing for the model at the time was that it was the world's first production car to feature LiDAR.
Previously, the P5 was only sold with LiDAR in the P-Series, with the E-Series and G-Series models not equipped with the pricey component.
Xpeng's approach at the time had caused some confusion as its flagship sedan, the P7, didn't come with LiDAR, while the less expensive P5 did. The latest P7i offers a LiDAR option.
Over the past two years, LiDAR, which is believed to provide better obstacle detection for assisted driving systems, has become standard on high-end models in China.
The new Xpeng P5 comes with NVIDIA's Xavier smart driving chip in the Pro version, which supports highway NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) functionality.
The new P5 measures 4,860 mm in length, 1,840 mm in width and 1,520 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,768 mm -- dimensions that are almost identical to those of the previous model, except for an increase in length of 52 mm.
The new model continues to be front-wheel drive, with a front electric motor with a peak power of 155 kW and peak torque of 310 Nm, and an acceleration time of 7.5 seconds from 0-100 kilometers per hour.
The Xpeng P5 saw 5,598 monthly deliveries in June 2022, the highest for the model in a single month, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.
So far this year, the Xpeng P5 has basically delivered less than 2,000 units per month, except for 2,241 units in March.
The new P5 is the second facelift launched by Xpeng in a week, as it launched a facelift of its flagship SUV, the G9, on September 19.
On September 23, Xpeng said the 2024 G9 received more than 8,000 firm orders within 72 hours of its launch. Deliveries of the new G9 began on September 21.
($1 = RMB 7.3060)
Xpeng says new G9 gets over 8,000 firm orders within 72 hours of launch
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