Chinese EV maker XPeng forecasts Q4 revenue below estimates amid fierce competition

Group 1 - XPeng forecasts fourth-quarter revenue between 21.5 billion yuan ($3.03 billion) and 23 billion yuan, below analysts' average estimate of 26 billion yuan, indicating challenges from a prolonged price war and competition in the EV market [2] - Despite record deliveries in October, XPeng's cautious outlook highlights the uneven impact of the price war on profitability across China's crowded EV sector [2] - The company's net loss narrowed to 380.9 million yuan from 1.81 billion yuan a year earlier, with third-quarter revenue reported at 20.38 billion yuan, driven by a 149.3% year-on-year increase in vehicle deliveries [5] Group 2 - XPeng's brand appeal has diminished in models priced above 200,000 yuan, attributed to the launch of the mid-to-low-end Mona 03 and reduced investment in intelligent driving [3] - The Mona M03 is central to XPeng's strategy to penetrate the more affordable EV segment in China, developed in collaboration with ride-hailing giant DiDi [3] - XPeng is investing in long-term projects such as "flying car" concepts and humanoid robots, which may pressure near-term earnings due to heavy R&D investment [4]