Chinese electric carmaker Xpeng starts exporting flagship P7 sedan for the first time - CNBC

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A Xpeng P7 electric car is on display during the 18th Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition at China Import and Export Fair Complex on November 20, 2020 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China.

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GUANGZHOU, China — Xpeng Inc. began shipping its flagship P7 sedan to Europe on Tuesday, underscoring the Chinese electric carmaker's ambitions to expand internationally.

The shipment of P7 models will be sent from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to Norway and is the first time Xpeng has shipped its flagship sedan to a market outside of China.

Norway is Xpeng's first international market and it has already delivered some units of its G3 SUV to customers there. In 2020, 54% of all new cars sold were electric, according to official government data, making it an attractive market for automakers.

Xpeng's rival Nio also plans to begin delivering cars to Norway this year.

Xpeng said a localized Norwegian version of the P7 rolled off its production line at its Zhaoqing factory in south China's Guangdong province. The carmaker expects to deliver P7 models to customers in Norway in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The Guangzhou-based automaker also said in a press release that it is "accelerating" its move to establish a "full-scale" Norwegian operation that includes customer experience, sales, delivery, services and charging facilities.

Xpeng has been ramping up its production capacity and model launches as competition in China's electric vehicle market intensifies. This month, Xpeng said it plans to double its production capacity at one of its key plants. Earlier this year, it launched another sedan called the P5, which starts at a price cheaper than Tesla's Model 3.