Ford is gearing up to launch new EVs overseas as it battles for global market share. Ahead of its EV blitz, Ford is currently the fastest-growing auto brand in Saudi Arabia. The American automaker is laying the groundwork for “an electrified future” in The Middle East.

Ford sees sales surge in Saudi Arabia with EVs en route

More people are buying Ford’s vehicles in The Middle East than ever. “2024 has been an exceptional year for Ford in the Middle East, with sales having doubled since 2022,” president of Ford Middle East, Ravi Ravichandran, said Thursday.

Ford’s success is being driven by “strong market share gains by our distributors,” Ravichandran explained.

The American automaker is growing in key regions, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Ford said it’s currently the fastest-growing auto brand in Saudi Arabia. The sales surge is thanks to “Ford’s extensive and freshest portfolio of vehicles,” the company said. However, the lineup is about to get even more attractive.

The company highlighted its new lineup of vehicles, including its first fully electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E.

The “Mustang Mach E represents a landmark moment for us,” Ford’s president of International Markets Group, Kay Hart, said. “It’s our first fully electric vehicle for the region and is truly one of the most exciting vehicles Ford has ever produced.”

Ford will launch the 2025 Mustang Mach-E in the region next year. It will be available in two battery options with an estimated range of 350 to 450 km (217 to 280 miles).

The Mach-E will join Ford’s F-150, Taurus, and Territory models. Next year, Ford’s best-selling nameplate, the Territory, will also arrive in the Middle East in hybrid form.

With a new parts distribution center opening in the UAE in January 2025, Ford said it will offer quicker parts delivery, allowing drivers to get back on the road quicker.

Electrek’s Take

Although Ford is growing in The Middle East, the company is downsizing in other key regions. In Germany, Ford lost two of its most experienced leadership team members this month.

The American automaker now has just two managing directors in Germany, down from nine earlier this year.

Ford is restructuring its business in Germany as it fights stiff competition, including low-cost Chinese EV makers. The Middle East is another key overseas auto market shifting to electric models. Ford will compete with incoming rivals like BYD to gain market share.

In the US, Ford is shutting down production of its once best-selling F-150 Lightning electric pickup in Michigan for nearly two months.

Ford spokesperson Jessica Enoch told Electrek in an emailed statement, “We continue to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability.”

Through the first ten months of 2024, Ford has sold nearly 74,000 EVs in the US, up 38% from the 53,502 sold last year.

As promised, XPeng Motors followed yesterday’s annual Tech Day event with the launch of its next all-electric model, the P7+. The sleek sedan arrives priced below previous pre-order numbers and is loaded with AI-centric technology while providing multiple battery chemistries to offer varying ranges.

Today’s launch of the P7+ was expected, as Chinese automaker XPeng Motors ($XPEV) has been promising it for over a month. The company unveiled the new BEV, which arrives as an AI-centric evolution of XPeng’s flagship sedan, the P7, in October.

The new model is noteworthy because it is the first XPeng model to abandon LiDAR sensors in favor of pure vision cameras in a new advanced system we now know as “Hawkeye Vision” (as an Iowa alum, I love this).

Four days after the unveiling, XPeng debuted the P7+ at the Paris Motor Show, kicking off pre-sales in China with initial pricing starting at RMB 209,800 ($29,610). At the time, XPeng Motors shared it would officially launch the new P7+ on November 7, 2024.

Here we are, and XPeng has made good on that promise, divulging some juicy new details, including interior shots, range estimates, and official pricing, which is lower than initially advertised.

XPeng launches P7+ below pre-order prices

Earlier today, in Guangzhou, China, XPeng held a launch event for the new P7+ AI smart hatchback. This was followed by updates to its Weibo page and a press release featuring the images above and below.

The new BEV has officially launched with much of the technology we previously covered, including the automaker’s new “cutting-edge AI architecture. Company founder and chairman He Xiaopeng spoke:

In traditional cars, being premium has often been defined by design and features, but in the era of AI-defined vehicles, true premium quality is inseparable from intelligent technology.

XPeng Motors believes it has achieved this vision with the P7+ and describes it as the first vehicle to incorporate large AI models into smart driving and cockpit functions. That starts with the vehicle’s ADAS, equipped with XPeng’s in-house XOS 5.4 software platform and the aforementioned AI Hawkeye Visual Solution.

The automaker shared that the former can enhance human-like interactions fourfold, with a 53% increase in lane-change success and a 155% improvement in detour handling during autonomous driving sessions.

The P7+’s cockpit (seen below) features XPeng’s proprietary X-GPT model, powered by a Qualcomm 8295P chip that delivers 50% better performance. The system enables drivers to interact with intelligent, natural voice interactions with in-depth comprehension, offering several functions that can be activated by a simple voice command.

The interior features a 15.6-inch central control screen on the dash, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display for the driver, and an 8-inch rear entertainment screen with three-screen connectivity throughout.

And now, for the moment, you’ve all been waiting for – specs and pricing (and so have we). Per XPeng, the new P7+ has launched with two standard variants and one limited edition premium model, of which only 500 units will be sold.

The entry-level variant features a 60.7 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack with cells from Eve Energy, offering a (CLTC) range of 602 km (374 miles). However, XPeng said that the initial range could be boosted to 615 km (382 miles) after an OTA system update, which will be available next month.

The other two variants use the same chemistry but with a larger 76.3 kWh pack that offers CLTC ranges of 710 km (441 miles) and 685 km (426 miles), respectively. Following a software update next month, those variants should also see a slight range increase.

XPeng Motors is touting the LFP battery packs in the P7+ as the “world’s thinnest” (109 mm), enabling more passenger headroom (973 mm) in the hatchback, a vehicle design that is often tight on interior space. Speaking of space, XPeng made a point to showcase the cargo capacity of the P7+, which is 725 liters with the rear seats folded down, capable of hauling 33 carry-on suitcases. There is also a frunk (see image above) that adds additional space for stowage.

As for pricing, XPeng Motors’ MSRP of the P7+ is lower than initially promised. It will start at RMB 186,800 ($26,150), RMB 23,000 ($3,221) lower than the pre-order price shared last month.

The standard variant with the larger pack starts at RMB 198,800 ($27,840), while the limited edition model is priced at RMB 218,800 ($30,640). Deliveries are expected to begin in China later this month.