Since the third quarter of this year, XPENG Motors' exposure has increased significantly. First, XPENG MONA M03 became popular in the 100,000-150,000 yuan price range in August, followed by the exposure of the company's first extended-range SUV launching next year in September. In October, XPENG unveiled the P7+ with lidar removed from its entire lineup. The new model is scheduled for pre-sale at the Paris Motor Show on October 14 and will be launched in early November. This new car indicates that XPENG Motors will focus solely on the pure vision technology route for its intelligent driving solutions going forward.

Regarding XPENG P7+, there are two key points to keep in mind. First, the new car is not an upgraded version of the current P7i; instead, it targets a different audience and emphasizes space and intelligence for families, whereas the P7i emphasizes individuality and sportiness. Furthermore, XPENG plans to continue introducing multiple product lines under the P7 series, with P7+ being the "family line." Second, XPENG has high expectations for P7+ since it is the company's first model to adopt AI Hawk-Eye Vision end-to-end technology. Consequently, since P7+ is the flagship model at this stage, it can only add value in terms of product capabilities. Specifically, what improvements have been made? To become a high-volume model, a suitable pricing strategy remains crucial. What will the specific price range be?

Shorten L113 and adopt a shooting brake design to rival B-segment SUVs in second-row space?

Compared to XPENG P7i, the most noticeable change in P7+ is its larger size and shorter front cabin. In terms of specifications, the new car boasts a wheelbase of 3 meters and a length of 5056mm, with a width and height of 1937mm and 1512mm, respectively. This represents an increase of 168mm, 41mm, and 62mm over the P7i, making it even larger than the Audi A6L and BYD Han. Therefore, it is evident that the interior space of XPENG P7+ is more spacious than that of P7i, especially in the second row, which has been criticized for being cramped in the latter model.

Expanding the cabin space of a new energy vehicle offers more feasible solutions than traditional fuel vehicles. Since there is no engine occupying a large area of the front cabin and no need to consider the layout of the transmission system, the most common approach is to lengthen the wheelbase and shorten the rear overhang, aiming for a four-wheel-corner design. However, observing XPENG P7+ and the current P7i, it appears that the new car has not deliberately shortened the rear overhang but rather shortened the longitudinal distance from the front wheel center to the interior pedal, adopting a short L113 design. Ledo L60, which was launched last month, also follows this design philosophy. This explains why the front cabin of P7+ appears shorter, with the front wheels closer to the front door panels.

Generally speaking, a shorter L113 design is more conducive to creating interior space and allows for more flexible seating arrangements in the front and rear rows. Based on this, XPENG P7+ does not adopt the conventional three-box design like P7i but instead opts for a shooting brake style, resulting in a larger trunk opening angle of 62 degrees, a length exceeding 1 meter, and a width and depth of 1.1 meters and 1.114 meters, respectively. This design breaks free from the fixed dimensions of traditional three-box tailgates. With the A-pillar positioned forward and the C-pillar moved backward, the Y0 line runs relatively smoothly between the B-pillar and C-pillar, laying the foundation for optimal headroom in the second row. The next step is to maximize this space further.

Considering the front-to-rear weight distribution of an electric vehicle, batteries are often placed in the center of the front and rear axles. Before the maturity of integrated battery chassis technology, space in the cabin had to be compromised to accommodate the battery. This either required reducing battery pack thickness or redesigning the chassis. XPENG P7+, which shares a platform with XPENG G6, utilizes a front-to-rear integrated large die-cast aluminum chassis and CIB battery chassis technology. By combining these two technologies, the number of components is reduced, welding points are minimized, and frame stiffness is ensured. Most importantly, valuable passenger space is no longer compromised.

How effective is the final result? Taking Ledo L60 as a reference, XPENG P7+ boasts a 50mm advantage in wheelbase and a maximum ground clearance that is 30mm lower. Coupled with its additional 236mm in length and hatchback design, the cabin headroom of both models is almost identical, while P7+'s trunk capacity is even larger, exceeding that of the Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5L by 175 liters. In summary, by adopting a short L113 design, shooting brake style, front-to-rear integrated large die-cast aluminum chassis, and CIB technology, XPENG P7+ achieves SUV-level space in a sedan, further reinforcing P7+'s product positioning as a family-oriented vehicle.

Worth mentioning is that with the shooting brake design, P7+ introduces a double spoiler. The approach angle remains at 14 degrees, but the size of the air deflectors on both sides of the front bumper has been enlarged. The hood surface is no longer rounded, with more pronounced ridges that better guide and control airflow when encountering wind. The departure angle has increased from 15 to 17 degrees, meaning airflow passing under the chassis will significantly rise towards the rear of the vehicle. The shooting brake style and double spoiler then press the airflow towards the rear, ensuring smooth airflow at the rear of the vehicle during driving. This differs from the concept of large-angle wings and low departure angles used in racing cars that prioritize minimizing aerodynamic drag, but both share similar goals and effects. XPENG officially reports a drag coefficient of Cd0.206, lower than P7i's Cd0.236, indicating that the taller and bulkier P7+ is more aerodynamic. It is predicted that the new car may achieve lower energy consumption than P7i (13.6kWh/100km).

Removing lidar reduces costs by over 1,000 yuan. Will P7+'s starting price be around 180,000 yuan?

The AI Hawk-Eye Vision solution is not new, as He Xiaopeng had already fully disclosed this intelligent driving solution when MONA M03 was launched. In summary, the primary improvement lies in perception, with the removal of lidar. The 4D high-definition millimeter-wave radar and LOFIC 8-megapixel camera now shoulder the burden. According to official data, perception distance has increased by 125%, and recognition speed has improved by 40%.

We previously analyzed the 4D millimeter-wave radar used in Huawei's Qiankun ADS from a technical perspective. When paired with its self-developed 192-line lidar, it can detect road conditions in real-time without relying on high-precision maps, particularly adept at capturing irregular, small, or fast-moving obstacles. In summary, by constructing 3D data through echoes, it provides richer safety-related perception data than pure vision cameras, eliminating the risk of missed or misidentified detections. Returning to XPENG P7+'s 4D millimeter-wave radar, its function is similar to that mentioned earlier. Moreover, it shares the same origins as Tesla's FSD radar, both utilizing the "Phoenix" radar technology developed by overseas radar supplier Arbe Robotics. With a detection range of up to 300 meters, this represents the farthest detection distance within XPENG's intelligent driving system, enabling P7+ to be used directly in some cities. The next significant challenge is to enable city mapping based purely on vision.

The LOFIC sensor can be understood as an enhanced version of a traditional binocular vision camera. Technically, each pixel well in the camera can be seen as a "pit" that holds visible light. The more light it holds, the brighter the resulting image will be. However, theoretically, each "pit" has a limited capacity for holding visible light. One way to accommodate higher light information is to expand the area of the pixel wells, thereby increasing their capacity for light information. This allows for a more accurate representation of visual signals even in alternating light and dark environments, providing high-definition imaging in complex lighting conditions. This is particularly important for ensuring the accuracy of perception data and represents a core competitive advantage of this intelligent driving solution.

After discussing the product capabilities at length, there's a significant development behind the scenes: removing lidar has reduced XPENG P7+'s overall cost by at least a thousand yuan. Furthermore, according to He Xiaopeng's recent earnings call, future P7+ models are expected to achieve nearly a 20% cost reduction. This is because the new car is built on the supply chain system of MONA M03, sharing many components. Being on the same platform as G6 also means continued shared electrical and electronic design and production, further reducing costs.

Additionally, the integrated casting technology contributes to weight reduction, and the low-drag design minimizes the need for large batteries. As a result, XPENG has only provided two battery pack options for the new car: 60.7kWh and 76.3kWh. Notably, the smaller battery pack is smaller than those in the current P7i (64.4kWh), XPENG G6 (66kWh), and even the high-end configuration of XPENG MONA M03 (62.2kWh). Moreover, the smaller battery pack version will be the main sales model. These actions indicate that XPENG P7+ has made significant efforts to reduce costs. Consequently, the only remaining question is pricing.

What will the specific price range be? As mentioned at the beginning, XPENG P7+'s importance to the brand is undeniable, so pricing and SKU offerings will be reasonable and affordable. Considering other competitors currently adopting pure vision end-to-end intelligent driving solutions, Jiyue 07 offers a price range of 209,900 to 299,900 yuan. Currently, XPENG P7i is priced at 223,900 to 289,900 yuan, with terminal discounts bringing the price down to 193,900 to 244,900 yuan. Furthermore, XPENG MONA M03 with AI Hawk-Eye intelligent driving solution is already available for 155,800 yuan. Therefore, if XPENG P7+ aims to tap into the home user group seeking intelligent driving capabilities, its pricing must be competitive. Combining cost reduction efforts and product positioning, it is predicted that the starting price of the new car will likely be around 180,000 yuan, with the top-of-the-line model not exceeding 250,000 yuan.