Xpeng News

There are more and more Chinese car brands entering the Australian new car market seemingly every day.

Six months ago the heavens were falling as a wave of new Chinese brands approached our shores, with some predicting mass casualties of legacy carmakers.Most of these new brands have arrived, including Deepal, Geely, Jac, XPeng and Zeekr, but have they wreaked the havoc that was predicted?The answer is no. After several months on sale the initial take up has been modest at best.Geely has sold about 500 of its cut-price EX5 electric mid-size SUV, which is a good start but not a knock-out blow to anyone.Jac has had trouble getting its T9 ute on the ground in Australia, but its 650 sales this year aren’t worrying Ford or Toyota.Deepal and XPeng don’t report sales figures yet, but anecdotal evidence suggests they haven’t hit critical mass.Zeekr has moved around 270 examples of its X small electric SUV and luxurious 009 people mover combined.It turns out that just because you are new and from China doesn’t mean you have a cheat code to success in Australia, as some may have thought.As with every other new brand, it will take time and resources to build up a strong following.Take a look at BYD, Chery, GWM and MG. These brands have had to grind it out over years to get a toehold in the local market.GWM and MG have since turned that toehold into a sizeable chunk of market share, like a wily pub veteran pushing elbows out at the bar to settle in, with both now established top 10 selling brands Down Under.It was a similar story for many of these brands that are now awash with sales.Chery launched with its Omoda 5 small SUV and said it would sell 10,000 in the first year … it did not come close.Fast forward a few years and Chery’s beefed-up line-up has accounted for more than 8000 sales through the first four months of this year and is on target to sell more than 20,000 vehicles in 2025. The cut-price Tiggo 4 small SUV leads the charge.BYD has sold more than 11,000 cars through to the start of May this year, but when it first arrived its Atto 3 sold just OK. Its sales really turbocharged years later after it brought in its line-up of plug-in hybrids such as the Sealion 6 SUV, Shark 6 dual-cab ute and the mid-size Sealion 7 electric SUV.Sales of the Sealion 6 and Shark 6 may fall back to earth now that tax incentives for plug-in hybrids have ended.In April, the BYD Sealion 7 electric SUV displaced the Tesla Model Y as the bestselling EV that month, which is only the second time since August 2022 a Tesla hasn’t been the bestselling electric car in a month.The MG ZS and GWM Haval Jolion are the second- and third-bestselling small SUVs, eclipsing rivals such as the Toyota Corolla Cross, Kia Seltos and Mitsubishi ASX.A few more car brands are on the cusp of launching with GAC and Skywell committed to landing here, but as recent history has shown, it’ll be a tough slog to carve out a slice of the Aussie market.But what about the effect on other brands?The only new car brand gone from the local market recently is Citroën, which was on a steep decline long before we knew any of these newcomers existed. Stellantis and its herd of car brands, such as Jeep and Alfa Romeo, look a little unsteady on their feet here, but this is not the result of new Chinese brands.The big boys of the Australian car industry are still doing well.Toyota’s market share has grown this year, compared to the first four months of 2024, as has Mazda, Hyundai and Kia’s. Ford’s is effectively even, too.So your favourite car brand might be around for longer than was predicted not so long ago.

XPeng has revealed a new version of its Mona M03 electric sedan in China and it could be bound for an Australian launch if the company’s local importer has its way.

XPeng has teased its next possible Tesla Model 3 Performance and BYD Seal Performance rival, the electric E29 Coupe.

People movers were never cool in Australia, but that’s changing as our evolving tastes take us out of SUVs and into little buses.

In 2025 branding means way more than a hot iron mark scorched into a steer’s backside.It’s about a brand’s personality, reputation and your interactions with it. What it says about you. What it delivers. How it makes you feel. A visual identity, a design style… and a million other things.   And there are automotive brands in the Australian new-car market that have strategically built solid brand equity over many decades.Current market leader, Toyota began dipping its corporate toe into global export waters by shipping cars here in the late 1950s. And other Japanese makers like Honda, Mazda and Nissan followed it in conquering initial hesitancy by steadily investing in strong retail networks, pushing product improvement and focusing on a positive customer experience.Ford has built its global brand around everything from the Model T and its revolutionary assembly line to pumped up muscle cars and victory at Le Mans. While here it embedded itself in the local landscape via a manufacturing presence spanning close to a century and regular victory at Mount Panorama.And more recently, relative newcomers like Hyundai and Kia have moved rapidly from cheap and (mostly) cheerful to innovators that repositioned the concept of value and quality in the local market.All of which led to large pockets of ‘rusted on’ brand loyalty. The concept of ‘Ford and Holden families’ started to diminish from the moment the latter departed the scene in 2020 (if not before), but Toyota’s reputation for value, durability and affordable ownership has seen it maintain a legion of never-say-die fans.Same for Ford, Mazda, Mitsubishi and others. But I'd argue a turning point was when, after an initial false start through a private importer in 2013, MG set up as a direct subsidiary in 2017.Great Wall had landed as the first Chinese car brand in the Aussie market in 2009, but MG 2.0 was different. Even if its ‘Since 1924’ positioning stretched credulity, its products were better than expected and pricing was ultra sharp.Sharp enough to encourage budget-focused new-car buyers, even used-car prospects, to give the brand a go.With the introduction of new-generation products in the early 2020s sales took off like a rocket, and it’s here that my ‘That’s a good idea’ theory kicks in.I reckon executives at rival Chinese car brands, keeping an eye on MG’s increasing success Down Under, all had the same ‘good idea’ at the same time. Namely, let’s get into Australia and grab a piece of that action. Hence the subsequent arrival of Chery in 2023, itself a factory-backed restart after an initial import-distribution arrangement broke down back in 2011. Followed by the flood gates opening, with BYD, Deepal, Geely, a ramped up GWM, JAC, LDV, Leapmotor, Smart, Jaecoo, XPeng and Zeekr all jumping in with Aion, Avatar, Jetour, Lynk & Co, Skyworth and others waiting in the wings.Doesn’t matter which category you’re talking about - white goods, sporting equipment, hi-fi - if one fresh competitor enters a mature market, it’s likely to be met with reluctance, even contempt by existing brand loyalists.But if near enough to 20 newcomers blaze into market at the same time, clearly something seismic is going on and it feels like you’d be missing a trick if you didn’t at least investigate the rapidly changing competitive landscape.Give them the benefit of 20/20 hindsight as well as a time machine and it’s not certain all the new brands above would currently be making an Aussie entrance.But multiple triggers have been pulled with retail network deals done, head office staff recruited, parts warehousing set up, service and sales training completed and marketing campaigns launched. So, in a mature market, early movers like MG, Chery and GWM have the advantage and more recent arrivals will need to find a way to win over buyers… fast. And it’s a fair bet the ever-impactful lever marked price will be pulled on a regular basis.Some of the newcomers as well as more than a few existing legacy brands will be forced into a price war. Like it or not, loyalty comes under pressure when the incentive is enticing enough and with a cut-price cage fight likely to take place sooner rather than later not everyone will leave the octagon alive.Stand by for new-car buyers tempted en masse into ‘unbeatable deals’ that mean brand loyalties will be stretched beyond breaking point. The shake out from this looming war of attrition will be huge. 

XPeng has officially launched its updated X9 people mover in China ahead of its Australian launch in the fourth quarter of this year.After only arriving on the Chinese market in January 2024, the overhauled 2025 XPeng X9 will carry the same launch price of 359,800 yuan (A$77,059) as its predecessor in China despite adding a suite of major upgrades.Four different grades have been confirmed: Long Range Max, Ultra Long Range Max, AWD Performance Max and the top-spec Starship Edition.Built on 800-volt architecture, the X9 now comes with the option of two larger batteries – a 94.8kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack, up from the previous 84.5kWh unit, or a 105kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery, up from the previous 101.5kWh unit.A single-motor, front-wheel-drive configuration remains standard across the range.Driving range varies from a claimed 650km on the Long Range Max to a range-topping 740km on the Ultra Long Range Max, while the AWD Performance Max and Starship Edition both clock in at 702km. These figures are claimed under the more lenient CLTC cycle.XPeng has added active rear steering, which means the X9’s 5.3-metre frame has a turning radius of just 5.4-metres.Inside, XPeng claims to have significantly increased the amount of soft-touch and 'premium' materials, while improving acoustics through additional sound insulation.NASA-inspired “zero gravity” seats have also been introduced, which the brand says are significantly more comfortable than the previous ones. They come standard across all grades in the first and second rows, with a 10-point massage function or optional 16-point.The third-row seats now carry electronically adjustable headrests and backrests and can be folded completely flat, offering significant additional space.Soft-close doors are now standard for the first row, while the 21.4-inch rear passenger screen is now blue light-resistant and carries a tilt function. Uniquely, it also comes with a microphone-less karaoke system.A 10.8-inch fridge/warmer, 220V power outlet, “surround-style” air-conditioning and one-touch electronically folding seats also join the third row.According to CarNewsChina, XPeng has told buyers of the pre-facelift X9 that they will be able to upgrade certain features, such as improved sound insulation and zero gravity seats.The move suggests a similar approach may follow in Australia when the updated G6 arrives later this year after it was revealed for the Chinese market in March. According to the brand, a suite of powertrain and tech upgrades means the G6, which launched in Australia in October last year, is 34 per cent new.Exact pricing and launch timing for the X9 on the Australian market remains unconfirmed, however, XPeng’s local CEO Jason Clarke previously confirmed to CarsGuide it would be aimed to sit under the luxury car tax threshold of $91,387 for ‘fuel-efficient’ vehicles. That means its starting price is poised to significantly undercut its key rivals in the Zeekr 009, which starts at $135,900 before on-road costs, and the Lexus LM, which starts at $160,272 before on-road costs.Expect more information, including a full list of pricing and specifications, closer to the X9’s official launch in Australia later this year.

The price for one of the best-reviewed Chinese electric SUVs in Australia could be about to fall dramatically, with the international pricing for the XPeng G6 lopping more than 10 per cent off its sticker price.

XPeng's incoming range of SUVs, people movers, and cars detailed.

The rapid and seemingly unstoppable expansion of Chinese carmakers is something to behold.But is it too far-fetched to think all cars will be Chinese within the next 20 years? Or is it naive not to see it as a strong possibility?For a long time I’ve thought the emergence of new Chinese cars in Australia and globally was the natural progression of the car industry. New brands morph from alternative fledgling brands to mature and established ones. We saw this with Japanese brands such as Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Nissan which gained popularity in the 1960s and ’70s before becoming established go-to brands in the 1980s and ’90s as they fought homegrown heroes Ford and Holden for space in Australia's driveways. And it stayed that way until the first decade of the 2000s ticked over.Holden and Ford’s ranges and sales shrank giving way to the Koreans who filled the gap with Hyundai and Kia which have climbed high into the top 10 thanks to an excellent range of SUVs and EVs.They’re now marching towards the only brands that stand in their way - Mitsubishi, Ford, Mazda and Toyota - which, by the way, have about three EVs between them.And given another five years Kia and Hyundai may have been able to topple Toyota from number one. But it might be too late for that. The presence of a large and fast-growing force is creating major uncertainty for the established brands in the Australian market - the rise and rise of Chinese brands. At the end of 2024 there were 12 Chinese brands operating in Australia and this year we’re expecting at least another seven to arrive. To put that in perspective we currently have a total of 50 car brands in Australia and nine are Japanese. By the end of 2025 the Chinese tally could easily be 20 brands or 30 per cent of Australia's brand make up.Several Chinese brands have been in Australia for years and have already done the hard yards. It took MG a couple of attempts to find a foothold but it was the seventh best-selling brand in 2024, while GWM came in at 10th. LDV is further down but still sold more than 16,000 vehicles here last year.The newer Chinese arrivals show huge promise with most of them offering affordable electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids when the established brands have only a handful among them, usually at higher prices.BYD, Zeekr, Leapmotor, Geely, Deepal, XPeng, Smart, JAC, Aion, Chery and Jaecoo will spend 2025 launching a multitude of new vehicles here. BYD will be one to watch having sold more cars here last year than Mercedes-Benz and it will likely enter the top 10 best sellers next year. Geely, which is the ‘Volkswagen of China’ in terms of its size and how many brands it owns, is another to watch.Chinese car manufacturers' speed of production, the development of new platforms and technology, the low cost of batteries, availability of electronics and the breakthroughs being made in charging systems, plus the sheer amount of money and Chinese government support behind them make competition almost impossible for many other brands.It’s almost certain that some established brands will bow out of Australia, unable to compete with Chinese brands. It’s also feasible that within the next decade more than half the Australian market could be made up of Chinese brands. And surely some Chinese brands won’t be able to cut it here and leave, too.Who could survive? Well, time has shown that even the mighty like Holden have fallen if they don’t make the cars people want to buy. The sheer brute force of Chinese brands being able to offer what people want quickly and at a low price, and at an always improving tech level could be too difficult for many other brands to fight off.In an extreme scenario this could lead to a 100 per cent Chinese brand market within 15 years. Sounds far fetched? Well they’re a third of the way there already.