China’s Xpeng coming to Australia to take on Tesla
Electric vehicle startup Xpeng is set to join the ever-growing ranks of Chinese brands in Australia, and will launch with a vehicle to tackle Australia’s best-selling EV.
The brand will arrive by the fourth quarter of 2024 with its Tesla Model Y-rivalling G6 SUV, with TrueEV appointed as the brand’s sole importer, distributor and retailer.
The G6 was revealed in 2023, and is therefore one of the brand’s newest vehicles.
It rides on the brand’s Smart Electric Platform Architecture (SEPA) 2.0 and features an 800V electric architecture.
China’s Xpeng coming to Australia to take on Tesla
The G6 measures 4753mm long, 1920mm wide and 1650mm tall on a 2890mm wheelbase – almost identical dimensionally to the Tesla Model Y.
There’s a choice of a 66kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with up to 435km of WLTP range, which can be charged at up to 215kW on DC power, or a larger 87.5kWh nickel cobalt manganese battery with up to 550km of WLTP range and 280kW DC charging.
The G6 is offered with a choice of single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains.
The RWD Standard Range produces 190kW of power and 440Nm of torque, while the RWD Long Range produces 210kW and 440Nm and the AWD Performance pumps out 350kW and 660Nm.
The latter can do the 0-100km/h dash in 4.1 seconds.
The G6 features vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability, allowing you to power external appliances.
In Europe, standard equipment includes a heat pump, a panoramic glass roof, 20-inch alloy wheels, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, dual 50W wireless phone chargers, an 18-speaker 960W sound system and a heated steering wheel.
A slim 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster sits ahead of the driver, while there’s a 14.96-inch landscape-oriented touchscreen infotainment system that supports over-the-air updates.
XPeng is expanding its global presence, and says it “aspires to become a leading player in the EV and related technology sector”.
“By entering new markets strategically and offering a range of EV models tailored to local customer needs, we aim to solidify our brand position as a leading player in the smart EV sector on a global scale,” said Alex Tang, XPeng’s general manager of international markets.
“XPeng is the highest quality intelligent EV that we could identify after an exhaustive search. We are confident that XPeng’s product range and design features are ideally suited to the Australian market,” said TrueEV CEO Jason Clarke.
“This collaboration represents a significant leap forward in the Australian range of intelligent EVs available and will be supported with the roll out of superior charging technology and capability.”
XPeng was founded in 2014 in Guangzhou, China, and started production of its first vehicle – the G3 SUV – in 2018.
In addition to the G6, it also offers the larger G9 SUV, as well as the P5 and P7 sedans and the X9 people mover.
After initially selling vehicles only in China, it announced plans for the European market in 2020. Since then, it has been gradually expanding its presence on the continent.
In addition to Australia, it has also announced strategic partnerships across other countries in the Asia Pacific region including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
The company is partnering with Volkswagen to co-develop a pair of new EVs for the German brand, and also plans to roll out a separate brand aimed at younger buyers.
Xpeng will join a glut of Chinese brands in Australia.
In addition to Western brands acquired by Chinese companies, including LDV, Lotus, MG and Volvo, there are brands established in China such as BYD, GWM and Chery.
Chery is launching the Jaecoo brand in the second half of 2024, while Chinese giant Changan has confirmed it will export vehicles from its Deepal brand.
Volvo owner Geely also plans to launch its Zeekr brand here in the second half of 2024.