When it comes to new-energy vehicle makers in China, Xiaopeng Motors is undoubtedly one of the top players in terms of brand influence and technological strength.

However, as a member of the "WEI-XIAO-LI" trio, Xiaopeng lags significantly behind NIO and Li Auto in terms of brand image and market sales.

At present, Xiaopeng Motors is unlikely to compete with NIO and Li Auto in the mid-to-high-end vehicle market in the short term, according to Chekuaiping's perspective. Nevertheless, Xiaopeng can still strive to boost its sales.

On August 27, Xiaopeng's highly anticipated new model, MONA M03, was officially launched, offering three variants priced between 119,800 and 155,800 yuan.

Upon seeing the announced price of MONA M03, many people were surprised by its affordability.

Indeed, as a compact electric hatchback with a length of nearly 4.8 meters and a wheelbase exceeding 2.8 meters, MONA M03, priced starting at 119,800 yuan, is unbeatable in terms of cost-effectiveness compared to other electric vehicles in its class.

Firstly, although MONA M03 does not have a dashboard, all variants come standard with a 15.6-inch central touchscreen. The voice recognition system supports hands-free activation, visible-speech recognition, and four-zone recognition. The infotainment system is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155P chip with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

In addition, features such as 360-degree panoramic view, L2-level advanced driver assistance system, built-in dashcam, automatic parking, wireless phone charging, power-adjustable driver and passenger seats, electric trunk, and adaptive headlights are also standard across all variants.

Moreover, the top-spec variant of MONA M03 is equipped with two NVIDIA Drive Orin chips and a binocular perception camera, enabling autonomous driving assistance, remote control, and valet parking in urban and highway environments.

The front seats feature ventilation and heating, both of which can be controlled by voice commands. MONA M03 is the only electric sedan priced around 150,000 yuan in China that offers such features and configurations.

According to Xiaopeng, MONA M03 surpassed 10,000 pre-orders within 52 minutes of its launch.

Surprisingly, despite Xiaopeng's sincerity with this model, some netizens have criticized it instead of embracing it. Why is that?

Upon examination, the main reasons for criticism include:

1. Although MONA M03 boasts a sporty design, its rear suspension is a torsion beam non-independent structure, which contrasts sharply with its sporty exterior.

2. The optional liquid crystal instrument cluster raises suspicions of cost-cutting measures.

3. None of the variants are equipped with a heat pump air conditioning system.

4. The ultra-long-range variant boasts a 620km pure electric driving range with a 62.2kWh battery pack, which some deem exaggerated.

5. With a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.4 seconds, MONA M03 offers sports car-like aesthetics but lacks comparable performance.

6. MONA M03 is accused of deliberately imitating Tesla's design.

In Chekuaiping's view, while MONA M03 offers exceptional value and intelligent driving capabilities within its class, there are indeed aspects that leave much to be desired.

By introducing more variants to address the aforementioned shortcomings, even if it means raising the overall price, Xiaopeng can offer consumers more choices. Agree?

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