New Xpeng P5 EV: Chinese Tesla Model 3 rival lands in Europe

China's Xpeng P5 makes its entry to Europe

Electric saloon brings a 289-mile range to customers in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands

Online reservations have opened in Europe for the new Xpeng P5 saloon in selected European markets as it continues to build on an ambitious expansion strategy aimed at establishing itself at the forefront of the electric car ranks.

The third model from the Chinese electric car start-up is set to follow the Xpeng G3 SUV and larger Xpeng P7 saloon into Denmark, Norway, Sweden and The Netherlands later this year as a rival to the likes of the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3 with a starting price of €48,000 (£39,898).

Sporting a more mainstream appearance than Xpeng’s first two models, the four-door P5 offers seating for up to five and 510 litres of luggage space. It is also claimed to boast a drag co-efficient of 0.223, making it one of the most aerodynamically efficient cars in its class.

Models bound for Europe receive XPeng’s proprietary XPilot 2.5 driver assistant system. It foregoes the Lidar based features found in Chinese models available with the more advanced XPilot 3.5 system, but retain 5 high definition millimetre-wave radar units, 12 ultrasonic wave sensors, 4 driving cameras and a further 9 high perception camera.

Powered by a front-mounted electric motor developing 208bhp and 229lb ft of torque, the front-wheel drive P5 has an official 0-62mph time of 7.3sec and limited 93mph top speed.  

The new volume market XPeng model is based on the same dedicated electric car platform as the G3. In European specification, it receives a 66.0kWh lithium-ion battery that is claimed to provide a range of up to 289 miles on the WLTP test procedure.