Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng aims to extend its reach into the right-hand-drive market by entering Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post has reported, and the brand will be the first to do so with a right-hand-drive model.
“By the time we enter, we will probably face pretty significant competition. By we do feel that our products will have a different appeal. We want to make sure that the technologies we develop in China can be made available in Hong Kong as well,” said Xpeng vice-chairman and president Brian Gu.
At present, Xpeng only produces vehicles in left-hand-drive form, with most sold in mainland China, though Gu acknowledges that the right-hand-drive segment accounts for a large portion of the electric vehicle market, according to the report.
The brand launched its P7 sedan model in April 2020, with the P5 launched in July 2021; its second SUV, the G9 was launched last September. Of these, the G9 and P7 are set to be delivered to European customers within two weeks, said Gu.
According to the South China Morning Post, some Xpeng vehicles were allowed to operate semi-autonomously on Beijing streets following approval from Beijing local authorities for its X Navigation Guided Pilot (X NGP) software; this made Xpeng the first Chinese carmaker to receive approval for semi-autonomous systems from the Beijing transport authority.
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, Bermaz Auto (BAuto) was reported last month to be considering the addition of a Chinese electric vehicle brand to its portfolio, and Xpeng was reported to be among the brands BAuto is engaging with for distribution rights; the other brands named in the May report were Dongfeng and Geely.
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