In 9 minutes, the large order broke 10,000, XPeng has its own mountain to climb

Author | Wang Xiaojun

Editor | Chai Xuchen

The automotive industry has now reached the point of announcing order quantities by the minute.

A few days ago, Xiaomi's YU7 ignited the automotive circle with an order quantity of 200,000 units in 3 minutes, causing competitors to become somewhat anxious. XPeng Motors Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng admitted in an interview after the XPeng G7 launch event, "It's quite surprising, (Xiaomi YU7) has created a myth," but he also emphasized, "Our data is also very good, and we are confident of achieving good results."

On July 3rd, the XPeng G7 was officially launched. Compared to the pre-sale, XPeng added a 602 Long Range Max version this time, which is divided into three versions: 602 Long Range Max version, 702 Ultra Long Range Max version, and 702 Ultra Long Range Ultra version, priced at 195,800 yuan, 205,800 yuan, and 225,800 yuan respectively.

This starting price is 67,700 yuan lower than the starting price of the Tesla Model Y and 57,700 yuan cheaper than the Xiaomi YU7, making it quite competitive in the same level SUV market.

Soon, XPeng also announced the order quantity of the G7 by the minute—10,000 units were booked in 9 minutes. This achievement would have been enough to astonish peers before the Xiaomi YU7, but now, the threshold for amazement has already been set by Xiaomi YU7.

Although it is difficult to replicate Xiaomi's order success, He Xiaopeng has still learned a bit from Lei Jun in terms of marketing.

Before the launch event, XPeng had several cues towards Xiaomi, and He Xiaopeng himself even ordered the Xiaomi YU7 Pro version. Lei Jun also mentioned in a live broadcast the night before the XPeng G7 launch, "If you can't wait for the Xiaomi YU7, you can also take a look at XPeng."

At the same time, the XPeng G7 launch event had a strong "rice" flavor.

In the pre-sale launch event, He Xiaopeng focused on technology. This time, he started by discussing various easily understandable configurations. His detailed explanation of the functions could rival that of Lei Jun.

Targeting family users, the XPeng G7 also emphasizes space and comfort.

The overall space of the XPeng G7 reaches 4.47m³, with an ultra-large headroom of 1062mm in the front row and 1035mm in the rear row. In previous demonstrations, basketball star Stephon Marbury, who is 188cm tall, could raise a basketball over his head while sitting in the back row.

Additionally, to address motion sickness issues, the XPeng G7 is equipped with a Taiji AI chassis, which debuts five AI chassis capabilities in the industry, capable of identifying speed bumps, bumpy roads, obstacles, pits, and protrusions in advance, effectively preventing motion sickness.

Of course, the stability of the chassis is also attributed to the hardware configuration. In terms of hardware, the XPeng G7 is equipped with luxury chassis hardware across the entire series, intelligent variable damping shock absorbers, front double wishbone and rear five-link suspension, as well as a Taiji hydraulic bushing matrix, and has undergone thousands of speed bump tests, over 2000 undulating road tests, and more than 300 peak hour calibrations XPeng also invited the influencer "Motion Sickness Dog" to test the XPeng G7, which successfully passed the dog's examination.

Another similarity with the Xiaomi Automobile launch event is that during this XPeng G7 launch, He Xiaopeng frequently referenced the Model Y. The comparison with the Model Y is intended to showcase the competition in technology, which is where XPeng is most confident.

This time, many capabilities of XPeng are standard across the entire lineup, with the main difference between the Max version and the Ultra being the chips, resulting in different computing power. He Xiaopeng stated that the launch of the G7 officially marks the entry of XPeng's intelligent assisted driving into a new "Ultra Era." In terms of configuration, the G7 Ultra is equipped with three self-developed Turing AI chips, with effective computing power exceeding 2200 TOPS, more than three times that of other flagship models in the industry.

Based on the effective computing power provided by the three chips, the XPeng G7 globally debuts with the VLA+VLM large model, achieving complete local deployment and operation.

Among them, the VLA-OL model constructs an intelligent driving architecture of "motor brain + cerebellum," while also possessing continuous reinforcement learning capabilities. The VLM large model serves as the AI brain for the vehicle to understand the world, capable of understanding and remembering user needs and providing customized exclusive services, transforming the intelligent cockpit from a traditional passive receiver of buttons, screens, and voice commands.

This also serves as a reserve for the future, hence this car is touted as the world's first L3-level computing power super AI car.

However, unfortunately, some capabilities of the Ultra version will not be available immediately. The VLA software OTA will be pushed to the vehicle in September this year, while one Turing AI chip in the cockpit will need to be installed at the store around November.

In terms of presentation, XPeng learned from Xiaomi, while the "Chasing Light Panoramic" AR-HUD, developed in collaboration with Huawei, is also one of the selling points of this car.

This is XPeng's first new model of the year, and from the above configurations, it is clear that XPeng has put in all its effort. Nick, the product manager for the XPeng G7, also explained the differentiated positioning of the Xiaomi YU7: "The Xiaomi YU7 focuses on aesthetics and handling, while the G7 focuses on family and technology; both are products with 'long advantages.'"

To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. Standing at the pinnacle of traffic, Xiaomi also has its own challenges to face. While the industry admires Xiaomi's orders, each company has its own genes and stories; XPeng has also been iterating step by step over the past few years.

From the disastrous launch of the XPeng G9 in 2022 to the current confidence and composure, with orders exceeding 10,000 in just 9 minutes, the transformation of He Xiaopeng and XPeng is visibly apparent. He Xiaopeng summarized XPeng's past three years as a transformative rebirth.

He summarized that over the past three years, adjustments have been made in organization, strategic planning, operations, and supply chain. In the future, XPeng aims to excel in four areas: technology, organization, commercialization, and globalization.

He Xiaopeng also revealed that XPeng's financial performance in the second quarter was very good, and achieving profitability in the fourth quarter is not challenging.

The myths of the industry are not something everyone can create, but every company has its own mountains to climb.

In the first half of the year, XPeng sold the same amount in six months as it did in the entire previous year, and it has already completed half of this year's target. At the same time, there are also news of mass production for new businesses such as robots and flying cars, and globalization has entered a new stage, beginning production overseas It can be said that XPeng, which has now entered a positive cycle, has already started to run. What is needed in the future is to proceed steadily rather than create myths