A Chinese high-tech automotive company, XPENG, has announced its official entry into the UK electric car market and opened the pre-sale of its first right-hand drive model, the ultra-smart all-electric mid-size coupe SUV, XPENG G6.

XPENG is developing state-of-the-art driving assist systems that can be updated over the air and include autonomous driving control and parking assist.

Their AI-driven NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) system provides navigation assisted autonomous driving from point A to B, based on the navigation route set by the driver, and is available on highways covered by high-precision maps in China. On their XPENG P7 model it is backed up by 14 cameras, 5 millimetre-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic sensors, centimetre-level high-definition positioning, decimetre-level high-definition mapping, NVIDIA Xavier system-on-the-chip computing platform, and Bosch iBooster brake system.

In 2021 they completed a series of on-the-road tests using a fleet of XPENG P7s that drove over 3,600+ km from Guangzhou to Beijing with 2,930 km highway driving under the control of the NGP, achieving an average of 0.71 human driver interventions per 100 km.

The NGP delivered stable performance in rainstorm conditions, passing through tunnels, and on highways in mountain areas during the 8-day test period. Under the control of the NGP, the average success rate for lane changing and overtaking was 94.41%. The average highway ramp entering and exiting success rate was 92.76% and average tunnel pass-through success rate was 94.95%.

Currently, the XPENG P7 is China’s only mass production car with a 360-degree dual camera and radar fusion perception system for added safety.

He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of XPeng said at the time: “We strive to become the world’s top autonomous driving hardware and software provider, and our strategy and R&D capabilities place us well in achieving this goal.”

XPENG considers the UK to be a crucial step in their strategy for international growth. Not only has it become the largest EV market in Europe in 2024, but it is also one of the most significant right-hand-drive markets worldwide. At this week’s launch event, XPENG showcased some of their vehicles*…

• XPENG P7+, the world’s first AI-defined vehicle
• XPENG G6, Ultra Smart Coupe SUV
• XPENG G9, Ultra Intelligent Flagship SUV
• XPENG X9, Ultra Smart Large Seven-seater

For its UK debut, XPENG has opened pre-orders for its G6 Ultra Smart Coupe SUV. Deliveries will begin in March 2025.

* They also displayed their eVTOL X2 flying car by XPENG AEROHT, an XPENG subsidiary and Asia’s largest eVTOL company.