XPENG-小鹏汽车：“大产品周期+AI”构筑核心竞争力，上调至买入评级

Investment Rating - The report upgrades the investment rating to "Buy" with a target price of US $16.70, reflecting a significant increase from the previous target of US$ 7.70, indicating a potential upside of 36% from the current price of US $12.29 [3][7][20]. Core Insights - The report highlights a strong product cycle and the integration of AI technology as key competitive advantages for the company. The sales gross margin for Q3 2024 increased by 2.6 percentage points, driven by the successful launch of the MONA M03 and P7+ models, marking the beginning of a major product cycle [2][3][4]. - The company plans to launch four new models in 2025, incorporating the "Kunpeng Super Electric System," which allows for dual driving modes. The overseas market sales saw a remarkable growth of 70% in Q3 2024, contributing 15% to total sales [3][4][5]. Financial Summary - The revenue for Q3 2024 reached RMB 10.1 billion, with automotive sales revenue of RMB 8.8 billion, reflecting a 29% quarter-on-quarter increase. The average revenue per vehicle for Q3 2024 was RMB 189,000, a decrease of approximately RMB 26,000 due to a higher proportion of lower-priced M03 model deliveries [3][4][16]. - The report projects the company's revenue to reach RMB 40.8 billion in 2024, RMB 76.0 billion in 2025, and RMB 98.3 billion in 2026. The gross margin is expected to improve to 15.3% in 2025 and 18.5% in 2026 [5][16][17]. - The forecasted net loss for 2025 is expected to narrow to RMB 1.05 billion, with a projected profit of RMB 1.73 billion in 2026 [5][16][17]. Valuation - The valuation is based on a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 1.5 times the 2025 estimates, leading to a target price of US$ 16.70, which corresponds to a P/S ratio of 2.8 times for 2024 [20][25]. The report emphasizes that the company deserves a higher valuation due to its strong product cycle, AI-driven product ecosystem, and rapid growth in overseas sales [20].