I went to an Xpeng shop in China. The reason for my visit was the new Xpeng P7, one of the wildest mainstream Chinese cars ever. Happily, the shop had a Rhythm Yellow example on display right behind the door.
The Xpeng shop is based inside a large automotive market in eastern Beijing. It combines a dealer, a delivery center, and a service center. The building appears tall, but that’s a visual illusion; it’s actually just a one-story structure.
The new Xpeng P7
The new Xpeng P7, aka the “Next P7”, is a spectacular fastback sedan with a brilliant design. It is Notice the line that connects the headlight unit with the A-pillar, the light bar over the full width of the nose, and the front spoiler with active aero.
A screen with the new/next P7, with a girl and some flowers, and the text “Fashion subverts imagination”.
It looks fantastic from the side as well, with a steeply raked windshield, X-shaped 20-inch alloy wheels, red brake calipers, flush door handles, frameless doors, wide hips, and a reverse raked rear & bumper section.
It is probably one of the craziest Chinese cars ever. Only the HiPhi Z was crazier. There’s active aero at the rear too, with a pop-out spoiler and vents in the bumper. The rear window is gigantic!
Specs of the Xpeng P7
The new Xpeng P7 is a large car – long & low: 5017/1970/1427, with a 3008 mm wheelbase. The P7 is based on Xpeng’s Smart Electric Platform Architecture (SEPA platform) with an 800V architecture. The car in the photos is the Xpeng P7 820 Ultra Long Range model, which costs 239.800 yuan ($34K).
It features a single-motor RWD powertrain with 270 kW (367 hp) and 465 Nm of torque. That’s enough for a 230 km/h top speed and a 0-100 accelaration in 5.4 seconds. The CALB ternary lithium battery has a 92.2 kWh capacity for an 820-kilometer CLTC range. Fast-charging (10-80%) takes 11.5 minutes.
The interior
Most of Xpeng’s interiors are clinically clean. That’s different in the new P7. It has a busier design, with more luxuries and more stuff. The leather-suede sport seats look fantastic. It also has an oval-shaped steering wheel with a flat bottom and blue buttons for the drive settings. There’s a tiny but super clear 8.8-inch driver’s display and a 15.6-inch touchscreen. The screen has a trick:
Xpeng refers to it as the Robot Smart Screen. The screen stands on three axes, allowing it to tilt and rotate 25 degrees. The screen can nod when the driver asks the AI assistant a question, and it can even move in sync with music. HiPhi pioneered this technology on the HiPhi Z sedan.
A 3008-mm wheelbase = a lot of legroom.
The frameless doors are impressive, 3 layers, as thick as those in an old Volvo.
The light units are on the sides, not on the liftgate, saving Xpeng the trouble of adding an extra set of lights.
Notice the blue lights inside the light units. They automatically switch on when the vehicle is driving autonomously, warning other road users. Huawei first introduced this feature, and many brands have followed. It isn’t legally required yet, but the government is reportedly planning to mandate it.
Xpeng stuff in the Xpeng shop
Xpeng shops have cool stuff. Like bags, pillows, and fuzzy electronics.
A set of microphones for the wireless karaoke system is standard on all of Xpeng’s cars. The mics look stylish, with a clean design and an Xpeng logo at the bottom. Even the box is good-looking.
A self-cleaning vacuum cleaner, handy for families with kids.
This is interesting: an optional instrument panel for the Xpeng Mona M03. The M03 doesn’t have an instrument panel. Xpeng designed the M03’s dashboard like a Tesla Model 3, with a touch screen only. So, first, Xpeng takes the instrument panel away. Then, Xpeng offers one as an option for 599 yuan or $84. What to make of that?!
Here’s the dashboard of the Mona M03. The optional instrument panel fits atop the steering wheel column. The main screen measures 15.6 inches. There’s a large-diameter two-spoke steering wheel with a flat bottom. Large steering wheels are an interior design trend in China.
The Xpeng Mona M03
Before the Mona M03, Xpeng was a Chinese car maker. After the Mona M03, Xpeng became an important Chinese car maker. The slippery sedan, with active aero in the front bumper, is easily he most significant vehicle for Xpeng so far. It made the brand’s fortune.
Xpeng launched the Mona M03 in August 2024, and deliveries started in earnest in September 2024. Before September, Xpeng sold between 9.000 and 12.000 cars per month. In September, sales jumped to 18,000, and by December 2024, they climbed further to 34.000.
The Mona M03 alone regularly accounted for just under half of Xpeng’s total sales. This year, Xpeng’s sales have slowly crept up to 37.014 units in October, the Mona M03 took 44%.
The car on display is the base model, the Xpeng Mona M03 515 Long Range Plus, painted in Moon Gray. It is a single-motor rear-wheel drive car with 140 kW (190 hp) and 225 Nm. The top speed is a rather modest 155 km/h, and 0-100 takes 7.8 seconds. Xpeng sources the Mona M03’s batteries from BYD FinDreams. The 515 Long Range Plus has a 51.8 kWh LFP unit for a 515 km range. Fast-charging takes 26 minutes. Price: 119.800 yuan ($17K), an almost unbelievable deal for such a large and high-tech vehicle.
Ouyang Nana
Xpeng has signed an endorsement deal for the updated Mona M03 with Ouyang Nana (欧阳娜娜), known internationally as Nana Ouyang. Nana is a Taiwanese singer, musician, and actress. This kind of artistic multifunctionality is very common in Asia.
She is 24 years old and has focused most of her career on China, where she has appeared in ten TV series and five films, including Bleeding Steel with Jackie Chan. Nana plays the cello, piano, and guitar. She has 20.225 million followers on Weibo and 3.7 million followers on Instagram.
An odd little setup that didn’t match the shop’s style – with a clothed table and a bunch of fake flowers and plants. The text on the table is 小鹏汽车 未来出行探索者, best translated as “XPeng Motors – Explorer of Future Mobility.” Note the fire extinguishers on the right. Chinese law required dealers to have dozens of extinguishers, water, hoses, and even pick axes on full display.
The Xpeng G7
The Xpeng G7 is a new mid-size electric SUV, launched in June 2025. Xpeng positions it between the Xpeng G6 and the Xpeng G9. I am not so sure about the styling of the G7, especially at the front. But the wheels look cool, and it has these fancy blue ADAS lights in the mirrors. The color is Star Daytime Gray.
Like the Mona M03, the G7 doesn’t have an instrument panel. But, unlike the M03, it has a giant 87-inch HUD sourced from Huawei. There’s a twin air-cooled wireless charging panel.
The Xpeng G7 is based on Xpeng’s SEPA 2.0 platform. The car on display is the Xpeng G7 602 Long Range Max model with a single-motor RWD powertrain. The output is 218 kW (296 hp) and 450 Nm, for a 202 km/h top speed and a 0-100 acceleration in 6.6 seconds. The battery is a CALB LFF with 68.5 kWh for a, guess what, 602 km range. It costs 195.800 yuan or $27.6K.
Other impressions of the Xpeng Shop
A promotional stand, a typical feature of car dealers in China. It refers to a seasonal trade-in promotion and additional gifts for Xpeng buyers. The robot on the right is AI小P, XPeng’s cartoon AI assistant. AI refers to Artificial Intelligence. 小P – Xiao P, literally “Little P,” refers to XPeng (小鹏). AI小P is also the digital assistant in Xpeng’s infotainment system.
That’s not something you see every day at a car shop: a Quick Cat–themed claw machine filled with plush figurines. The dolls looked very dusty, likely because the machine is coin-operated, and nobody uses coins in China anymore.
There’s easily enough space for another six new Xpengs. I’m sure Xpeng will launch those, and more.
The other cars in the Xpeng shop
The Xpeng G9 SUV, launched in 2022 and updated in 2025. It is Xpeng’s most popular export model in Europe.
The G6 SUV, launched in 2023 and also updated in 2025. Xpeng produces the G6 in China and assembles it in Indonesia for the ASEAN countries.
The X9 MPV, in production since 2023, with an update again in 2025. When launched, it was the first full-size fully-electric MPV. It is still a mighty impressive machine, 5.3 meters long with huge wheels and shiploads of space. Recently, Xpeng also unveiled an EREV version of the X9.
A screen showing Xpeng’s self-operated charging network with 2.265 charging stations all over China. Most Chinese brands operate their own charging networks. However, they usually sign deals with other brands to give each other access to these stations.
Time to go
A table with sweets, snacks, tea, and ice-cold water. Free for all visitors. Well, it was time to leave the Xpeng shop. It had been a good visit. The staff was friendly and mostly let me be. There was enough space and light for my photos. I really want to have a P7!
A brand new Xpeng P7+, standing outside, they didn’t have one in the shop; all were sold out, the staff told me. The P7+ is a giant electric sedan with a sleek aero-optimalized design. Somewhat confusingly, it is positioned below the new P7. I will post a separate story about the P7+ soon.
A long line of Xpeng test cars is parked in front of the shop. I waved goodbye and went on to visit the M-Hero dealer next door – and many more.
That’s a rich color palette to choose from, are cars in the streets also colorful or non-grayscales are relatively rare, like in US and Europe?