13 January 2025

A recent retailer conference for Xpeng was so oversubscribed, “it was standing room only,” IM MD William Brown told Auto Retail Agenda. “We are not dismissing any interest at this stage, but all our appointments will be strategic.”

Interest has been high for the Chinese new entrant ever since IM was confirmed as the distributor last year. “Our plan for 2024 is around 20 retailers plus a number of aftersales.” This will be the right level for sustainable representation, believes Brown.

“Longer term, we aim to grow in line with the ZEV Mandate – our plan maps that trajectory, and there’s a lot of producing coming down the line that will drive this as we approach 2030.”

Right now, there is a lot of push in the EV market, observes Brown. “If you’re an EV-only brand, it’s not sustainable – it’s a race to the bottom. We are trying to build a premium brand and don’t want to mortgage that brand integrity.”

Retailers are going to play a key role in building awareness for Xpeng in the UK. “It works well, having a dealer network with an unknown brand – they have the reputation, are well-respected and trusted; consumers don’t know the new entrants but do know their dealer, and value the face-to-face aspect where they can tell the story of new brands.”

Last week, Xpeng ran a series of press drives for its UK launch car, the G6. This is an electric rival to the Tesla Model Y, with prices anticipated to undercut it by several thousand pounds. The brand’s official launch will be on 11 February in London, with senior Xpeng representatives scheduled to attend.

Tags: IM, New Entrants, William Brown, XPENG