Spotting an electric car on a public road used to be a rare event a few years ago. As more and more automakers join the niche, this is no longer the case, because EVs are now more common and more affordable. And several carmakers are preparing their assault on the electric car market.

China's Xpeng is one of them. Established only six years ago, Xpeng unveiled its second production model, the P7, in 2020 and it wants to sell it in the United States. The P7 was displayed at the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year and it was driven for the first time on U.S. soil.

Tom Moloughney of InsideEVs was the first lucky member of the media to get his hands on the Xpeng P7. He wasn't allowed to drive the EV on a public road since all the tech inside the car is still in Chinese, but he gave the sedan a rundown in a parking lot.

Needless to say, the P7 looks quite good on the outside, sporting an aggressive design, and its interior is clearly of premium variety. But does it have what it takes to compete with Tesla models on the performance front?

Tom says that the P7 is actually tuned for comfort rather than extreme performance, which isn't surprising for a Chinese-made vehicle. He also says that the P7 is more comfortable than his Tesla Model 3, but it's not as agile. He also complained a bit about the acceleration kicking in a split second later compared to the Model 3 and BMW i3, but at the end of test he concludes that the P7 is a great performer for the price range.

What is the Xpeng P7?

Introduced in summer 2020, the P7 is an all-electric sedan that's currently available with two drivetrain configurations. The model tested above is the P7 Performance, which features two electric motors that deliver a combined 430 horsepower. The P7 Performance is said to hit 60 mph in a little over four seconds, while returning around 350 miles of range in the NEDC cycle. Xpeng also makes a Super Long Range version with more than 430 miles per single charge.

Size-wise, the P7 slots right between the Tesla Model 3 and Model S, but it's closer to a midsize than a compact. Xpeng plans to bring the P7 to the U.S., where pricing will start from around $32,450. The range-topping model would cost around $49,400. If these priced become reality, the Xpeng P7 would be around $5,000 more affordable than the Tesla Model 3 in base trim.