Asia Tech Wire (Nov 4) -- Chinese electric car maker Xpeng Inc. made a response to a lawsuit filed against it in Europe for patent infringement.

Intellectual property media outlet ip fray reported earlier this month that Xpeng became the first Chinese automaker to be sued in Europe's Unified Patent Court (UPC).

The report said Luxembourg-based steel giant ArcelorMittal accused Xpeng of allegedly infringing on its legal rights to patent EP3290200B1, which it holds.

Specifically, the allegation involves Xpeng's G9 electric SUV, which it has been selling in Europe since the end of 2023.

In addition to Xpeng, the 17 defendants in the lawsuit include resellers such as Germany-based Moll and Luxembourg-based Hedin.

Through the patent lawsuit, ArcelorMittal may hope to force Xpeng to purchase certain steel products from it, the report suggests.

In response, Xpeng said Sunday that its intellectual property team, as well as its purchasing, manufacturing and other departments, had ensured that G9 products would not be made from infringing thermoformed materials in the target markets by appointing suppliers or raw material vendors well in advance of exporting G9 products.

Xpeng said it is in good communication with ArcelorMittal, and at the same time asked the supplier to verify the source of the relevant materials and confirm that the materials provided meet the company's requirements.