Xpeng has received pre-orders for the P5 electric sedan in four European countries to continue its aggressive international expansion to rival Tesla.
P5, first introduced a year ago in China. Starting Thursday, the P5 can be ordered by customers in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, via the Xpeng mobile app and website.
Xpeng has been pushing its sales to Europe over the past year. In August, it began shipping its flagship P7 sedan to Norway, its first international market.
Last month, the Guangzhou-headquartered company opened its first store in Stockholm, Sweden. On Thursday, Xpeng said it also plans to open another store in the Netherlands.
The European version of the P5 is slightly different from the one released in China. First, it will be equipped with Xpilot 2.5, Xpeng’s advanced driver assistance system, or ADAS, which refers to a driving software system with multiple autonomous features. However, it still needs driving. Xpilot 2.5 is a slightly older version of the software than the company rolled out to customers in China this year.
The European version of the P5 will also not have Lidar technology, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging. The lidar system can help cars measure distances and create a three-dimensional representation of the vehicle’s environment. Lidar is the key technology behind more advanced autonomous features. However, Xpilot 2.5 does not require Lidar to work.
Xpeng has tried to make a breakthrough that sets it apart from other manufacturers. Xpeng is known to focus on self-developed autonomous driving features and other technologies. It is hoped the features will appeal to European consumers as the shift to electric vehicles continues and competition intensifies.
