What happened

Shares of Chinese electric-vehicle maker Xpeng (XPEV 3.59%) were trading higher on Monday after the company reported record deliveries in December.

As of 11:52 a.m. EST, Xpeng's American depositary shares were up by about 8.7% from Friday's closing price.

So what

Xpeng said that it delivered 5,700 vehicles in December 2020, up from 4,224 in November and an increase of 326% from December 2019. Of that total, 3,691 were P7 sedans -- another sales record for the model -- and 2,009 were the company's compact G3 SUVs. 

Since its launch in late June, the Xpeng P7 has become something of a hit product in the upscale-electric-vehicle niche that is catered to by rivals Tesla, NIO, and Li Auto in China. Xpeng delivered just over 15,000 P7s in 2020, and recently introduced a limited-edition "Wing" version to boost consumer interest. 

A lime-green Xpeng P7 Wing, a sleek electric sedan.

Xpeng's limited-edition P7 Wing has Lamborghini-like "wing" front doors. Image source: Xpeng.

Why was Xpeng's stock trading higher Monday morning? Because those are all good numbers. 

Now what

Xpeng is expected to report its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results to auto investors in mid-February. If the company's sales figures are any indication, the results should be good: For the fourth quarter, Xpeng delivered 12,964 vehicles, up 303% year over year and up 51% from Q3 2020. 

For the full year, Xpeng delivered 27,041 vehicles, up 112% from 2019.