Shanghai (ZXZC)- As 2020's last large-scale international motor show held in China, the Auto Guangzhou attracted a number of EV startups, including Xpeng Motors, Li Auto, Human Horizons and Leapmotor.

Among them, only Leapmotor launched an all-new production model, the C11. Meanwhile, as Guangzhou's local automaker, Xpeng Motor unveiled a special edition of its P7 sports sedan that grabbed the attention of many viewers, and announced its latest progress in autonomous driving development. Human Horizons formally started the presale of the HiPhi X Foundation version and announced the date for scale delivery, indicating a new significant player is about to scramble for the share of China's EV market.     

Xpeng Motors unveils P7 Wing, announces next-generation autonomous driving architecture upgrade

Xpeng Motors offered the first glimpse of the P7 Wing, the limited edition of its P7 super-long range sports sedan at the Auto Guangzhou 2020.

The P7 Wing is available in four-wheel drive high-performance and rear-wheel drive super-long range versions at after-subsidy prices of 409,000 yuan ($62,380) and 366,900 yuan ($55,960) respectively for the Chinese market.

Xpeng P7 Wing; photo source: Xpeng Motors

The most eye-catching feature of the Wing must be the pair of specially-designed scissor-styled front doors that are usually seen in luxury sports vehicles.

According to the startup, consumers can personalize the opening angles of the front doors. Two radars at both sides of the car can automatically identify obstacles and control the door movements while the doors being opened.

The scissor doors can be unlocked in multiple ways, such as via car key, Bluetooth/NFC digital key, mobile phone Apps, control panel or in-car voice assistant.

Meanwhile, the company announced its next-generation autonomous driving architecture. Xpeng said it has significantly upgraded its autonomous driving software and hardware systems for the 2021 production models.

The new hardware architecture encompasses HD cameras, millimeter-wave radars, ultrasonic sensors, Lidar, high-precision positioning and mapping systems. The system will also cover more utility scenarios, enabling Xpeng vehicles to perform low-speed NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) functions for urban driving.

Based on full-stack in-house-developed technologies, the software architecture consists of multiple modules of perception, behavior planning, behavior/motion prediction and map fusion, forming a fully closed loop of data and algorithms to support rapid functional iteration.

Xpeng said the next-generation architecture will feature major enhancements in integrated control unit, high-precision positioning, perception fusion and computing power.

Leapmotor launches third volume production model

Leapmotor launched the C11, its third production model, at the motor show. The new all-electric SUV measures 4,750mm long, 1,905mm wide and 1,650mm high, and has a wheelbase of 2,930mm. Presale is set to kick off in December with prices ranging from 160,000 yuan ($24,400) to 200,000 yuan ($30,500).

Leapmotor C11; photo credit: Leapmotor

According to Zhu Jiangming, founder and chairman of Leapmotor, the C11 adopts the third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive Digital Cockpit Platform that integrates AI-enabled kernel and 8-core processer, meeting the processing demands of multiple systems and tasks.

In the cockpit, there are three high-definition displays connected together, which are powered by iFlytek’s new-generation intelligent voice interactive system

The entire lineup of the C11 comes standard with 28 high-precision hardware sensors, including 10 car-mounted cameras, 5 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars and 1 facial recognition camera, which are able to realize 360-degree panoramic view. The vehicle is equipped with two Lingxin 01 chips, Leapmotor's self-developed chips for intelligent driving, delivering 8.4 trillion operations per second of performance.

Notably, the vehicle's in-car operating system can be upgraded through OTA (over-the-air) for a faster response, refreshed applications and services, and improved software controlling strategies over complete vehicles and such core parts as electric drive system and batteries.

The C11 SUV is driven by the new generation of Leapmotor’s self-developed Hercules electric drive system. The dual-motor intelligent four-wheel drive version can pump out up to 400kW and 720N·m with acceleration of 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds. The single-motor rear-wheel drive is good for 200kW and 360 N·m, and can zip from 0-100km/h within 7.9 seconds.

Human Horizons kicks off presale of HiPhi X Foundation version

At the Auto Gaungzhou, Human Horizons began the presale of the Foundation version of its first mass-produced model, the HiPhi X, which hit the market at the 2020 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition.

The Foundation version comes with a four-seater and a six-seater version, which are priced at 800,000 yuan ($122,010) and 680,000 yuan ($103,710) for presale. The scale delivery is scheduled to start in the first half of 2021.

HiPhi X; photo credit: Human Horizons

The HiPhi X is the world's first production vehicle that adopts Human Horizons' mass-produced, secure, developer-enabled Human Oriented Architecture (HOA) and the first worldwide to be equipped with a 5G-V2X technology network. More than 562 sensors are deployed throughout the vehicle to collect, analyze and response to a great deal of data about its occupants, the surrounding environment, and a multitude of vehicle parameters.

HOA is supported by a "neural network" consisting of six "super brain" domain controllers connected by Gigabit Ethernet. Based on HOA, the HiPhi X is continuously learning and evolving the vehicle's performance and experience.

The vehicle measures 5,200mm long, 2062mm wide and 1,618mm tall. The 3,150mm wheelbase also maximizes the cabin space to deliver seating comfort for all occupants.

The company said the HiPhi X is the world’s first touch-free, handle-free luxury SUV and the first that integrates facial recognition for hands-free entry. All doors can be opened and closed independently and are fully electrically actuated.

In the space capsule-like cabin, HiPhi X features a 14.6-inch full LCD instrument cluster, 16.9-inch central touchscreen, 19.9-inch co-pilot screen, a rearview mirror capable of media streaming, a high-definition color HUD, capacitive door touch panel and Touch-Pad steering wheel controls.