Could this be the breakthrough Chinese electric crossover?

Xpeng is one of the few Chinese car companies to have ventured into Europe.

With a design office in California and publicly traded on the New York stock exchange, Xpeng is unusual amongst Chinese car companies. And its G3 is a very convincing battery-powered crossover.

Originally launched in 2018, the G3 has now been updated and it looks unlike anything else – which is refreshing, and symbolic of Chinese car design moving beyond imitation.

With its narrow leading-edge bonnet and bumper integration, and slim headlamps, the 2021 G3 has a sleek profile and radical front glass profile. Its windscreen extends all the way back to the B-pillar, delivering an abundance of ambient light into the cabin.

Inside there is a huge vertical infotainment touchscreen and you can have seats with blue and white trim.

The G3’s infotainment systemalso benefits from enhanced processors, enabling it to recognize and execute driver voice commandswith greater speed and accuracy. Powering the G3’s digital assistance features is a Snapdragon 820A auto-grade chip.

Xpeng has also proved that software is the great enabler for electric vehicle ownership, with the company releasing 15 overt-the-air updatesto G3 customers, since 2018. These have unlocked no less than 55 additional infotainment and digital car features.

Two battery packs are offered for the updated G3. There is a 55 kWh pack that delivers 460 km of range, whilst the more potent 66 kWh G3 is claimed to achieve 520 km on a single charge.

Performance should be entirely adequate too, with the G3’s electric motor rated at 145 kW and 300 Nm of torque.

How good is this Chinese electric car platform? Well, good enough for Xpeng to get Norwegian government approval, a not insignificant achievement, in one of the world’s most demanding electric vehicle markets.

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