The first brand-new car after the company changed its name. He Xiaopeng wants to sell it for 400,000 yuan.
The pre - sale price of the XPeng X9 Super Extended - Range starts at 350,000 yuan, and the official launch price starts at 309,800 yuan.
The pre - sale price of the XPeng G7 starts at 235,800 yuan, and the official launch price starts at 195,800 yuan.
The pre - sale price of the XPeng P7+ starts at 209,800 yuan, and the official launch price starts at 186,800 yuan...
Although the plot of setting a high pre - sale price and then having a much lower official launch price is not exclusive to XPeng, this new - force automaker headquartered in Guangzhou should be a strong candidate for the one most fond of this practice. In addition to the models mentioned above, the new - generation XPeng P7, as the brand's flagship sedan, is a typical example of this scenario.
On August 6, 2025, the new - generation XPeng P7 started its pre - sale. The pre - sale price was not announced at that time, and He Xiaopeng, the "senior brother" of the company, clearly stated on various occasions such as subsequent media interviews and earnings conference calls that the vehicle was positioned in the 300,000 - yuan range. "Objectively speaking, of course, I hope it will be a best - selling model, but it definitely won't be as 'cheap' as some XPeng fans expect," He Xiaopeng said on his personal Weibo.
Finally, the new - generation XPeng P7 was priced starting at 219,800 yuan, and even the entry - level models are all equipped with key configurations such as the Turing chip and air suspension that were emphasized during the promotion stage. Of course, there is indeed a Pengyi version of the new - generation P7 priced at 301,800 yuan, which to some extent fulfills the claim of the 300,000 - yuan positioning.
With a series of such cases in the past, when looking at the new flagship SUV, the XPeng GX, launched by He Xiaopeng on April 15, the pre - sale price of 399,800 yuan, which sets a new high for the brand, is not a problem at all. In contrast, whether the XPeng GX can achieve good sales just because of its attractive price may be more worthy of attention.
Hasn't Found Its High - end Label Yet
In the current domestic new - energy vehicle market where there are so many new cars that it's hard to keep track, there are more and more models with no problems in terms of price and product strength, but their sales always fail to meet expectations.
The new - generation XPeng P7 is a typical example.
According to third - party terminal retail data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and the China Passenger Car Association, the cumulative sales of the new - generation XPeng P7 from its launch in August 2025 to March this year were 23,041 units. Such sales performance could be achieved by the first - generation XPeng P7 in just 3 - 4 months back in 2021.
It should be noted that the average transaction price of the first - generation XPeng P7 at that time was in the range of 250,000 - 300,000 yuan.
When comparing the new - generation XPeng P7 horizontally in the market, its performance is also inferior to that of the previous - generation model. When sorting vehicle sales with the keywords "pure - electric sedan" and "200,000 - 250,000 yuan", in the past six months (from October 2025 to March 2026), the new - generation XPeng P7 ranked behind the Tesla Model 3, Xiaomi SU7, and Zeekr 007.
In this context, perhaps XPeng needs to re - examine what labels support its high - end strategy, especially for new flagship models such as the new - generation XPeng P7 and XPeng GX that aim to enter the market above 200,000 yuan or even 300,000 yuan.
At present, most people's impression of XPeng is AI intelligence and original avant - garde design, which are also the main directions guided by the automaker's official. However, upon closer consideration, these two labels may not be suitable as the basis for high - end positioning.
AI intelligence is undoubtedly a good direction for a company to expand its business, but at least for now, there is no trend of consumers paying a premium for it. From assisted driving to intelligent cockpits, the relatively more perceptible applications of AI intelligence in cars are currently more focused on mass popularization, which is contrary to the logic of privilege and rarity that can support high - end premiums.
In this regard, XPeng has also weakened the premium ability of high - end models such as the new - generation XPeng P7 and XPeng GX by continuously popularizing the latest AI capabilities across all models. At the press conference in March this year, XPeng officially announced that the most affordable model in the whole brand, the MONA M03, can also be optionally equipped with two Turing chips to use the VLA 2.0 assisted driving system.
As for the original avant - garde design, on the one hand, this label is rather subjective. Secondly, as a new - force automaker, it is difficult for XPeng to seek a premium through original classic designs like established automakers such as Porsche and MINI.
Looking at the XPeng GX, from selling points such as the AI - dimmable privacy glass and its appearance that is widely compared with the Land Rover Range Rover, it can be seen that AI intelligence and original avant - garde design are still the key factors for XPeng to sell this car at a high price, but whether the market will accept it remains a question.
He Xiaopeng is Trying Every Means to Return to the High - end Market
To create a high - end atmosphere for XPeng, He Xiaopeng is trying many different methods.
"Today, XPeng is moving upwards. In a few months, we will see XPeng cars go global. In the second half of this year, we will see a brand - new generation in XPeng's low - altitude and robotics systems." As He Xiaopeng said, XPeng will further transform into a company covering new - energy vehicles, low - altitude flight, and robotics businesses this year. It is worth mentioning that in order to achieve this goal, XPeng changed its name in March this year. The Chinese name of the company was changed from "XPeng Motors Co., Ltd." to "XPeng Group".
Focusing on the automotive business, which is still the company's main business, although the new - generation XPeng P7 has been slow to gain momentum, XPeng has been going all out to return to the high - end market. Launching a super extended - range version of the flagship MPV XPeng X9 is one strategy, and expanding the product line by adding the six - seat flagship SUV XPeng GX is another.
Behind this is that XPeng, which has established a foothold in the 100,000 - 200,000 - yuan market segment, is starting to encounter bottlenecks.
Taking the automotive gross profit margin as an example, according to XPeng's financial report, after a major sales explosion in 2025, its annual automotive gross profit margin was 12.8%, a year - on - year increase of 4.5 percentage points. Specifically in each quarter, XPeng's single - quarter automotive gross profit margins in 2025 were 10.5%, 14.3%, 13.1%, and 13% respectively, with the 14.3% single - quarter automotive gross profit margin being the historical peak.
Taking Li Auto and NIO, two other new - force automakers, as references, the former's annual automotive gross profit margin in 2025 was 17.9%, significantly higher than that of XPeng, while the latter's automotive gross profit margin showed a healthier and continuous upward trend. In 2025, its quarterly automotive gross profit margins were 10.2%, 10.3%, 14.7%, and 18.1% respectively.
It is not difficult to see that opening up the market above 200,000 yuan or even 300,000 yuan like the first - generation P7 and using higher - margin models to improve the company's profitability has become the key to XPeng's next - stage development.
Looking forward to XPeng in 2026, the XPeng GX, at least a 300,000 - yuan - level model, is the key to its high - end strategy, but it is not the only card. There are also plans to launch an SUV codenamed G02 internally, which is positioned no less than the XPeng GX. In addition, XPeng's independent Robotaxi business unit has been established, and three mass - produced Robotaxi models will start trial operations within this year.
Realizing XPeng's high - end image through various cutting - edge technological new businesses is a route with a style similar to that of Elon Musk and Tesla.
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This article is from the WeChat official account "Yuanmei Hui", author: Pan Zhuolun, published by 36Kr with authorization.