Alibaba-backed Xpeng Motors' new all-electric sedan, its third production model after the company's G3 and P7, will be named Xpeng P5, according to tech media TechWeb.

The report also released spy photos of the Xpeng P5, showing that the P5 is slightly shorter than the P7 and closer to the Toyota Corolla.

The P7's long range is thanks to an 81kWh battery, and if the P5's wheelbase is shortened, its range could also be adjusted slightly downward to avoid clashing with the P7's flagship positioning, the report said.

The report also cites Xpeng sources as saying that the P5 will be released in the first half of 2021 and mass-produced in September of this year.

A screenshot of a document circulating on Weibo last week showed that Xpeng wants to make the new all-electric sedan a popular product and a breakthrough in production.

Xpeng is aiming for a significant increase in production by 2021, with the Guangzhou plant scheduled to be completed and operational by July of this year, when the plants in Zhaoqing and Guangzhou will have a designed annual capacity of 400,000 units, the document says.

Earlier this month, Xpeng announced a new sedan was coming, which will feature a new design and hints that it will be equipped with LiDAR.

Judging from the body profile, the sedan appears to be more compact than the company's current sedan, the Xpeng P7, and thus is expected to be less expensive.

Its front and taillight designs are largely in line with the Xpeng P7.

On November 20, at the Guangzhou Auto Show, Xpeng founder He Xiaopeng said he would release the world's first production car equipped with LiDAR in 2021.

(Source: TechWeb)