** Hong Kong shares of Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) maker
Xpeng 9868.HK rise 5.4% to HK$39.85, on course to snap three
straight sessions of decline
** Stock marks biggest intraday pct gain since March 12, and
is the biggest pct gainer in Hang Seng Tech Index .HSTECH and
Hang Seng China Enterprises Index .HSCE
** Xpeng announced plans to launch a cheaper brand with
price of between 100,000 yuan and 150,000 yuan ($14,000-$21,000)
amid fierce China price competition in the EV industry
** Competition in China's EV market has intensified as
companies race to cut prices, with market leader BYD 002594.SZ
spearheading a deeper round of price reductions and launching
new version of Destroyer 07 hybrid at lower starting price
** Shares of rivals climb with Wuling Motors 0305.HK ,
Leapmotor 9863.HK , NIO 9866.HK , Geely 0175.HK and BYD
1211.HK rising between 1.2% and 3.1%
** Hang Seng Tech Index .HSTECH gains 0.1%, Hang Seng
China Enterprises Index .HSCE climbs 0.5% and Hang Seng Index
.HSI adds 0.3%
** Hong Kong-listed stock drops 30.7% YTD, U.S. shares down
33.9% YTD
(Reporting by Donny Kwok)
((donny.kwok@thomsonreuters.com))