Xpeng L03 News

Australia is about to receive a wave of new EVs before the end of 2026. EV sales are surging in Australia as brands beef-up their line-ups to provide further choice. Here is a look at some of the best models still to arrive this year. GAC will launch an ultra-affordable variant of its Aion UT electric hatchback before the end of 2026. This Standard Range variant is priced similar to the popular Geely EX2 that starts from $26,490 (before on-road costs). It should start at less than $30,000 drive-away when it gets here, given the current variant on sale starts from $31,990 (drive-away). It’s equipped with a 44kWh battery instead of a 60kWh unit, offering a driving range of 320km, compared to 430km, according to WLTP standards. GAC hasn’t confirmed performance output yet, but in China its front-mounted electric motor produces 100kW and 145Nm, which is less than the 150kW/210Nm available now. Kia will introduce its first fully-electric people mover, the PV5 Passenger, to the Australian market in 2026. The PV5 Passenger is the people mover variant of the PV5 Cargo already on sale Down Under.  Its performance matches the PV5 Cargo, with a single electric motor making 120kW/250Nm and its 71.2kWh battery expected to offer around 416km of range (WLTP). Kia hasn’t provided a more specific launch date than Q4 2026, but it’s likely to be closer to December. The Korean brand hasn’t revealed pricing yet either, but Cargo starts from $55,990 (before on-road costs), so buyers can expect the more expensive Passenger variant to sit between $60,000 to $70,000. The much-anticipated Zeekr 7GT wagon is due to land in Australian showrooms in Q4 2026. The fully-electric Euro-styled wagon will target a similar reception to its 7X mid-size SUV sibling that has taken the Aussie market by storm so far.  The 7GT is available in a rear-wheel drive configuration, making 310kW/440Nm, as well as an all-wheel drive variant, with 475kW/710Nm.  We still don’t know how much it will cost, but it could sit around the $55,000 mark, coming in cheaper than the 7X SUV. XPeng is looking to make the most of its new factory-backed operation Down Under. The brand will launch its L03 electric mid-size SUV in December 2026, priced from $41,900 (before on-road costs).  This means it’s cheaper than the Tesla Model Y ($58,900) and the Zeekr 7X ($57,900), while matching the Geely EX5’s starting price ($41,900).  The L03 comes as standard with a single electric motor, producing 163kW/280Nm, and a 445km driving range from its 58kWh battery.  There will also be a hybrid range-extender variant of the car that uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine to charge the battery and a single electric motor, making 178kW/280Nm. An updated Chery E5 small SUV will hit Aussie showrooms in late 2026. The E5’s budget-friendly status pits it against the BYD Atto 3 ($41,990) and Jaecoo J5 ($36,990, drive-away).  It offers the same performance as its outgoing model, with 155kW and 288Nm, while its 59kWh battery offers 430km of WLTP driving range.  It now has a larger 15.6-inch central touchscreen display and an auto-dimming mirror. The EX60 is the fully-electric counterpart to the XC60 - Volvo’s best-selling car of all time. The mid-size SUV will start from $86,900, and will tackle the BMW iX3 ($89,990) in the increasingly competitive electric SUV segments.  The RWD variant produces 275kW/480Nm, while the AWD makes 375kW/710Nm.  Performance increases up to 500kW and 680Nm on the more expensive P12 variant due in 2027.  Its initial variants will be equipped with either an 83kWh battery offering 610km or a 95kWh unit offering 660km of range, according to WLTP standards. GWM is about to launch a new hatchback variant of its Ora 5 EV in Australia.  The Ora 5 hatch will rival the BYD Dolphin and MG4 Urban in the affordable EV space.  It’s expected to have the same single motor found in the SUV variant, making 150kW/260Nm.  GWM has confirmed it has a 58kWh battery with a 435km driving range (WLTP). 

XPeng is making it more affordable for Australians to get into one of their vehicles. The Chinese brand is launching the new L03 mid-size coupe-SUV, which severely undercuts the Tesla Model Y, Geely EX5 and Zeekr 7X. XPeng is also adding some variety to the menu with a range-extender hybrid (EREV) version, with Australia being one of the first markets outside of China to get the petrol-electric versions. There are three electric and one EREV L03s to choose from, with prices starting at $41,900 (before on-road costs) for the Standard Range EV and the Power X EREV. The Long Range EV jumps to $46,900 and the range tops out at the dual-motor Performance Ultra grade at $53,900. That entry price puts it at the same price as the Geely EX5 and $17,000 cheaper than the base Tesla Model Y and about $16,000 more affordable than the Zeekr 7X. The Power X EREV version uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine that is used purely as a generator to charge the 37kWh Lithium-ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery and never drives the wheels. Instead, a 178kW/280Nm single electric motor drives the rear wheels. XPeng claims the 37kWh battery delivers an electric driving range of up to 215km calculated by the benchmark WLTP test cycle. The brand claims a total driving range of more than 1000km when the battery and 42-litre fuel tank are depleted. At the max DC charging rate, the battery can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in 20 minutes. AC charging tops out at 6.6kW. Standard Range electric versions use a circa-58kWh LFP battery that provides a WLTP rated driving range of up to 445km. It can DC charge up to 193kW, which can fill the battery from 20-80 per cent in 20 minutes. AC charging is up to 11kW. Power comes from a single electric motor that makes 163kW and 280Nm delivered to the rear wheels. Long Range and Performance Ultra grades up this with a roughly 71kWh LFP battery that enables a driving range of 520km (Long Range) and 440km (Performance Ultra). Both can DC charge up to 236kW, which again fills the battery from 10-80 in 20 minutes.  The Long Range grade has slightly more power at 183kW/280Nm, again sent to the rear wheels. Performance Ultra examples have a second motor enabling all-wheel drive, with a total of 285kW on tap. That extra grunt drops the L03’s 0-100km/h time to 4.5 seconds from the 6.6 and 7.5 seconds of the Long Range and Standard Range grades. XPeng is making a big deal about how it is embedding AI into its cars. Bigger vehicles such as the coming G9L have increased functionality, but the L03 has the computing power to bring fully autonomous driving when it is ready. XPeng hasn’t sourced its chips from stock market darling Nvidia, instead XPeng is going it alone and developing and building its own processors it dubs AI Turing chips. The company is planning on rolling out fully autonomous capabilities in 2027, where regulations allow. Australia does not allow that yet, but this could mean it would have similar capabilities to Tesla’s Full Self Driving (Supervised). Tesla’s tech can drive autonomously, but the driver has to be ready to take control just in case. The L03 rides on either 18-inch alloy wheels or 20-inch units depending on specification.  It has LED lighting front and back, with a full length light bar at the rear. It has cornering lights, privacy glass, frameless doors and door mirrors. Inside there are electronically adjustable, synthetic leather-wrapped seats that are heated and ventilated up front, with a massage function on the Performance Ultra grade. A heated microfibre covered steering wheel, wireless charging, ambient lighting, nine-speaker stereo that jumps to 18-speakers in the Performance Ultra. The range-topper also gets active noise cancellation to keep the outside world at bay. The L03 is a mid-size SUV that is a similar size to big names such as the Geely EX5 and Toyota RAV4, but slightly smaller than the Tesla Model Y and Zeekr 7X. It is 4650mm long, 1920mm wide, 1600mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2850mm. It has a ground clearance of 144mm and seating for five. The boot can hold 494-litres, which increases to 539L with the under-floor compartment included. There is a front cargo area under the bonnet that can hold 102L. It is rated to 750kg unbraked or 1500kg braked. The L03 can be had in white, two types of black, silver and purple.

Xpeng’s new mid-size ‘coupe’ SUV has been confirmed in Thailand ahead of the L03's Australian launch. Thanks to its imminent right-hand drive Thai launch, we now know some details of the the 2026 Xpeng L03 (called Mona L03 in China) we are likely to get. The segment-treading SUV, which has a more ‘coupe’ shape than some SUVs it will likely rival. XPeng has been dealing with something of a ‘relaunch’ in Australia as the Chinese headquarters roll out factory-backed operations in Australia, taking over from the former importer TrueEV. The L03 will join the G6 mid-size SUV and X9 people-mover to help bolster the line-up and compete with more established rivals. What is the XPeng L03? Likely to be classified as a mid-size SUV in Australia and rival the Geely EX5 or BYD Atto 3, the L03 is somewhat like a Polestar 2 in being sedan-shaped but SUV-sized. Coming in at 4650mm long, 1920mm wide and 1600mm tall, the L03 will launch in Thailand with an option of 58.3kWh or 71.2kWh LFP battery, the latter providing up to 520km of WLTP-tested range. A range-extender is available in China with a 1.5-litre engine producing 70kW, though in Thailand the more powerful variants have outputs of 183kW. Thanks to maximum 236kW DC charging, XPeng claims the L03 can undertake a 10-80 per cent charge in two minutes. A large panoramic roof, 15.6-inch central touchscreen and floating centre console with the increasingly standard wireless charging pads are key to the interior, much like many, many other EVs from China.

China’s XPeng has confirmed its plan to launch five new or updated vehicles in Australia over the next six months. Including the updated G6 electric mid-size SUV and the recently launched X9 electric people mover, the Chinese carmaker has locked in a local launch for the L03 coupe SUV in the fourth quarter of 2026. This latter XPeng vehicle was only just revealed in Europe last week and it signals the brand’s intention to bring new cars to Australia more quickly and in sync with China. Then the G9L large SUV and the L05 mid-size SUV are all coming Down Under within the next six months. Additionally, XPeng has confirmed the flagship GX SUV is coming to Australia, however concrete launch timing is yet to be locked in. It’ll likely also need a different name as Lexus already sells a model with this name locally. All XPeng models to date offer pure electric (BEV) powertrains, however the Chinese carmaker is set to introduce range-extender hybrid (REEV) powertrains in Australia in 2027. XPeng hasn’t fully disclosed which of its models will be offered with a REEV powertrain in Australia, however it’s understood that the L03 coupe SUV will be the first. It’ll be offered with both BEV and REEV powertrains. Other XPeng models will likely follow with offering both powertrain technologies. The Chinese carmaker also plans to introduce its semi-autonomous driving software in Australia. It’s already available in other markets and it’s currently targeting a local launch before the end of 2027. This will finally give Tesla a rival on the semi-autonomous driving front. It’s the only carmaker to offer a similar level of technology currently in Australia. Lastly, XPeng is currently planning an Australian pilot for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. It is still in discussions with potential partners and will disclose the models it’ll be offered on and the timeline at a later date. As it currently stands, XPeng has 25 showroom locations within Australia and New Zealand but it’s looking to ramp this up to 50 within six months. It also plans to have three flagship experience centres. The Chinese carmaker is also setting up offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland to act as support hubs for the dealers. It has established a national parts warehouse with delivery through a partnership with FedEx, plus has a customer care support network with a dedicated call line and roadside assistance. It’s clear that XPeng is going hard in Australia now that the factory has officially taken over direct operations from the previous distributor, True EV. There are still ongoing legal disputes however between XPeng and True EV and a trial is set to begin locally in October.