On 28 March 2024 XPENG announced its entry into Germany with planned sales starting in May. The first models were the G9 and P7, and a third model was to follow in the months after.
The company chose a dealer network with 24 retail locations. In July XPENG confirmed that sales had started in May and that the 24 locations were run by twelve contracted partners. Markus Schrick was managing director of the German operation. The target at the March announcement was 120 retail locations by the end of 2026 and a three percent share of the German new-energy vehicle market by the end of 2024.
France and the Iberian peninsula
In April XPENG signed an agreement with Salvador Caetano Auto on import and distribution in Spain and Portugal. The French market introduction followed on 16 May, where the G9 and G6 were presented as the first local models. Shunqiang Qiang was head of XPENG in France.
On 26 September XPENG announced the launch in Spain and Portugal with the G6, G9 and P7. The network consisted of ten dealers in Spain and two points of sale in Portugal, in Lisbon and Porto. In Portugal the plan was to expand to seven dealers by the end of the year and 15 by the end of 2025. XPENG also showed the X2 flying car at the launches.
Ireland
In October XPENG appointed Motor Distributors Limited as official importer and distributor. The two companies were to build a dealer network, and the G6 was planned as the first model in the Irish rollout.
The CAM ranking
During the European expansion XPENG also highlighted its placing in the Center of Automotive Management’s 2024 study. The institute in Bergisch Gladbach had assessed 359 innovations from 27 premium brands across electric drive, autonomous driving and assistance, and infotainment and connected functions.
According to XPENG’s account the brand scored 86 points and third place among the premium brands behind Mercedes and BMW. It won the category for autonomous driving and assistance and came seventh in the overall ranking, which also included volume brands and groups.
The X9 scored 42.2 innovation points and second place among the models. At that point the model was neither on sale nor homologated in Germany.
Global targets
At the Irish agreement XPENG said it was aiming for more than 60 markets by the end of 2025. The long-term ambition was for half of sales to come from markets outside China.
The markets page shows the brand’s presence today. The story on German buyers’ choice of versions describes later sales in Germany.
Images: XPENG
Sources
XPENG: entering Germany with 24 retail locations · 28 March 2024
XPENG Germany: third place in the CAM institute's innovation ranking · 31 July 2024
XPENG: launch in Spain and Portugal · 26 September 2024
XPENG: Motor Distributors Limited named importer in Ireland · 28 October 2024
XPENG: distribution agreement with Salvador Caetano Auto · April 2024