• 2 min read
Xpeng says it can beat Tesla’s Model Y — not yet
Xpeng’s new L03 targets the Tesla Model Y, but driving experience and charging convenience still give Tesla the edge.
Image: TechRadar
At the Munich launch of Xpeng’s L03 EV, founder He Xiaopeng said the company is “not far from beating Model Y,” according to the Financial Times. It was Xpeng’s first simultaneous vehicle unveiling in Europe and China, and a clear sign that the company wants to push beyond domestic rivals and take on Tesla and premium European brands more directly.
The L03 is expected to start at €35,600 — about $40,600 / AU$58,000 — and brings the now-familiar coupe-SUV formula, plus a 15.6-inch central infotainment display, lounge-style seating, and what Xpeng says are its most advanced intelligent driving features yet for global markets. The company has long leaned into a tech-first identity, with work spanning humanoid robots, artificial intelligence, and eVTOL lightweight electric aircraft.
“L03 has the potential to be a blockbuster model in terms of being a volume driver and certainly one of the Model Y killers, but not the killer.”
That tracks with TechRadar’s own experience driving the Xpeng G6, another obvious Model Y rival. The verdict: Tesla’s updated Model 3 and Model Y are still better cars to drive, and Tesla’s software remains notably smoother and easier to use.
The second big gap is charging. TechRadar argues that Tesla’s Supercharger network is still among the cheapest and simplest in most markets. It may not always offer the fastest charge speeds, but its reliability, route planning, and contactless billing continue to define the ownership experience in a way competitors struggle to match.
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Xpeng’s software and Europe push
Even so, Xpeng is improving quickly. TechRadar says newer generations have brought a clear jump in interior quality, faster charging, more powerful processing, and engineering changes that make the cars better to live with and better to drive.
The L03 is reportedly set to go further with VLA 2.0 (Vision Language-Action) software powering its Next Generation Pilot autonomous driving system. It will also be the first Chinese automaker to ship a vehicle with Google Maps built in.
Still, market traction shows the scale of the challenge. In the UK, there were just 900 registrations of the G6 during its first 10 months on sale, versus 24,298 Tesla Model Ys. Xpeng has had stronger results across Europe, but the Model Y remains the top-selling EV in many markets and the second most popular in China.
For now, Xpeng looks closer to becoming a credible Tesla alternative than a true Model Y replacement.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via TechRadar
