The cover background is a photo of the G9L pre-production in Austria released by XPeng on October 7, not the Paris Motor Show venue.

Before the Paris Motor Show even opened, automakers had already set the stage.

Twenty Chinese auto brands will appear together, double the number in 2024. Stellantis is preparing to bring 8 brands, more than 60 display vehicles, and 9 concept cars. XPeng is putting up a booth of more than 1,000 square meters, with new cars, robots, and flying cars all together.

There is another highlight outside the exhibition hall. According to an XPeng announcement on October 1, only XPeng and Tesla are participating in this edition's official autonomous driving experience program, Autonomous Lab. Visitors can make reservations, sit in the car, and experience about 25 minutes on real roads.

This edition of the show will hold its media day on October 12 and open to the public from the 13th to the 18th. Among the arrangements already announced, there are new car launches and order taking, as well as on-road test rides. What European buyers can see and try is far richer than a row of static display cars.

Reuters reported on October 9 that the number of Chinese auto brands participating has increased to 20, double that of 2024. The report used file photos from 2024.

Europe as the Home Turf: More and More Chinese Brands

Reuters reported on October 9 that, in addition to BYD and Chery, brands such as AITO and Avatr will also join. Behind the increase in participation, there has already been a change in market share. The report cited data from Schmidt Automotive Research saying that in the second quarter of this year, Chinese brands' share of the European market was 10.7%, compared with 5.7% in the same period last year.

European automakers have also prepared a batch of new cars. Stellantis's lineup announced on September 16 includes the DS N°7, Fiat Grizzly, Lancia Gamma, and Opel Corsa GSE. Peugeot will also display the 9X8 race car and E-208 GTi, with the group's brands entering Hall 4 together, covering an exhibition area of 5,340 square meters.

Stellantis announced its Paris Motor Show arrangements on its official website on September 16: 8 brands, more than 60 display vehicles, and 9 concept cars.

Leapmotor is also on this list. Its B03 and flagship SUV D19 will make their European debuts, with participation relying on its joint venture cooperation with Stellantis. As Chinese brands enter Europe, some expand their markets independently, while others expand their business through cooperation with local automakers. A walk through the exhibition halls shows both approaches.

XPeng chose to put its products together. The display vehicles in Hall 6 include the G9L, L03, P7+, G6, G9, and X9, with humanoid robots and flying cars also planned. The company named its exhibition area the "Physical AI Museum," where European visitors can see its products extending beyond cars at the same booth.

The Flagship Car XPeng Is Bringing Has Already Entered Trial Production in Austria

The new car XPeng is preparing to take orders for this time is the G9L. The company plans to complete its global launch on October 12, announce the European price, and open European orders.

Before heading to Paris, it completed its first trial production at the Magna plant in Graz, Austria. On October 7, XPeng also announced that it planned to have the first European pre-production vehicle travel from Graz to Paris, a distance of 1,324 kilometers. The G6, G9, and P7+ are already produced at this plant, and the G9L will become the fourth model.

A photo of the G9L European trial production released by XPeng on October 7, taken at the Magna plant in Austria. First trial production does not yet equal volume deliveries.

Behind this flagship SUV that European buyers see, there is already a trial production arrangement at a local plant. For XPeng, announcing the price, taking orders, and then delivering the cars is a more concrete business process than booth exposure.

This market also already has a group of XPeng owners. The company disclosed on October 7 that cumulative deliveries in Europe have exceeded 60,000 vehicles, including more than 6,000 in France. In the second quarter of this year, overseas deliveries exceeded 20,000 for the first time, up 81% year on year; this overseas figure includes markets outside Europe.

At a motor show where 20 Chinese brands are exhibiting together, if XPeng wants to win the next batch of buyers, a list of new cars alone is not enough. Another experience it is bringing is Navigated Guided Pilot, or NGP.

Test Rides at the Same Event Give Smart Driving a Comparable Experience

The vehicle XPeng is using for test rides is the L03 coupe SUV. This is the company's first large-scale NGP test ride organized outside China, at the test ride center at Gate H in Hall 7.1.

According to the motor show's official website, visitors need to make reservations on site in advance and will be accompanied by staff for an experience of about 25 minutes. The functions listed for the program include pedestrian recognition, automatic braking, lane keeping, assisted lane changing, and parking.

The Autonomous Lab arrangement published on the Paris Motor Show official website: about 25 minutes of real-road experience, requiring on-site advance reservations.

XPeng and Tesla entering the same official program gives visitors a chance to compare the riding experience. Whether lane keeping is stable, whether lane changes are natural, and whether braking makes people nervous can all become specific questions discussed after the experience. The event has not published unified evaluation results, and the participation of both does not mean that a technical ranking has already been decided.

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