Xpeng News

We already know the upcoming XPeng G7 pure-electric SUV is on track for a Chinese domestic launch in April this year. And courtesy of the brand’s Australian importer/distributor, we also know the mid-size, five-seater will be available for a 2026 local arrival. And now the first shot of an undisguised example of the newcomer on public roads (first published on China’s Weibo social media site) shows how close it is to taking the fight to established players like Tesla’s Model Y, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. As predicted recently by Xpeng’s public relations team, studio images of the car’s exterior emerged earlier this month courtesy of the brand’s filing with the China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).But CarNewsChina has previously shown an ‘on-the-street’ interior spy snap of the car’s dash, confirming inclusion of a huge 15.6-inch central multimedia screen and separate 10.25-inch digital instrument display.According to CarNewsChina, XPeng is claiming the new G7 “may be the most capable SUV in the 250,000 class this year”, that number relating to the car’s presumptive domestic price of around 250,000 yuan ($54,800).XPeng has also confirmed its focus on aero performance with the G7 saying one of its aims is to “improve range through efficiency”, hence the car’s carefully sculpted front splitter, flush door handles and large rear spoiler.And riding on the same ‘SEPA’ platform as its G6 and P7+ siblings means 800V electric architecture for ultra-fast charging (10-80 per cent in 20min).The G7 is powered by a 218kW electric motor (built in-house at the company’s Wuhan plant) driving the rear wheels with the likely choice of short and long-range lithium iron phosphate battery packs produced by China Aviation Lithium Battery (CALB).Dimensions are 4892mm long, 1925mm wide and 1655mm tall with a 2890mm wheelbase which makes the car slightly longer, marginally thinner and fractionally taller than the all-conquering Model Y, with exactly the same wheelbase measurement.XPeng is also embracing AI-driven driver-assistance systems and G7 will feature Xpeng’s Hawk AI system, which delivers self-driving ability through a camera-based system.

Despite a backwards step in 2024, Chinese cars are on-track to bounce back in 2025 as a flood of new brands enter the market.While brands like BYD, MG, GWM and Chery have already established themselves, a new wave is on the way to challenge Japan as Australia’s biggest car importer.By the end of 2024 there were 12 Chinese brands officially in the Australian market and at least two more have announced plans for entry into our market in 2025 with more expected to follow. Japan, by contrast, only has nine brands in our local market but still comfortably leads the overall production with nearly 379,000 vehicles from Japan sold here in 2024.That compares to 272,139 from Thailand and 176,159 from China. Those figures don’t account for a brand’s national base but rather simply where they are built, so it includes certain Tesla, Volvo and other models from different brands.But while Japan and Thailand still lead the way as the most popular countries for new-car production, China appears on-course to overtake them in the not-too-distant future at the current rate.With the likes of Zeekr, Leapmotor, Deepal, XPeng, Geely, Smart, JAC, GAC/Aion, Jaecoo and more set to grow in 2025, plus expanded product lines from BYD, MG, GWM and Chery, the approximate 96,000 sales difference between China and Thailand could shrink dramatically this year.The industry is well aware of the rapid growth of the Chinese car industry in Australia, with Toyota Australia’s Head of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley, commenting this week: “The Australian new-car market has always been one of the most competitive in the world, and 2025 will be no different. We expect to see more new brands and models, which means more choice and even stronger competition, which, in the end, is great for the consumer.“By all reports, there could be a dozen new Chinese car companies arriving in Australia by the end of next year. In the past five years, they have taken more than 13 percentage points of market share from established brands.”Hanley was quick to point out that while these new brands have taken significant market share, Toyota remains the clear leader.However, that growth must come from somewhere and that will force brands across the market to react to this new array of rivals. This is likely to result in increased competition for Australian buyers at a time when cost-of-living pressures are expected to cool the market after record sales in 2024.

Once upon a time, flying cars were a little bit of a Jetsons-style pipe dream. While they’re not exactly right around the corner, it’s starting to look like flying cars might be the ‘future transport’ tech that everyone wants to be the first to get right. Shame about the hoverboards from Back to the Future Part II.

The recent arrival of independent, pure-electric Chinese carmaker Xpeng in the Australian market has been built around the G6 EV SUV, a mid-size, coupe-style, five-seater specified and priced ($54,800, before on-road costs) to take the fight up to Tesla’s market-leading Model Y ($55,900).With order books open and deliveries scheduled to start imminently, the G6 will soon be joined by the larger G9 SUV and three-row, seven-seat X9 people mover.And now CarNewsChina has unearthed spy pics of an XPeng pre-production prototype of the upcoming G7 crossover.Via the brand’s Australian importer/distributor, TrueEV, XPeng HQ in Guangzhou, China has confirmed the car pictured is the G7 and that it's scheduled for domestic release in April this year.TrueEV CEO Jason Clarke also told CarsGuide, "We'll assess local launch timing in the light of demand for existing models, but (the G7) will be available for a 2026 arrival." Although heavily camouflaged in these images, it's believed the five-door will follow the design direction led by the sleek P7+ sedan launched in the Chinese domestic market late last year.It’s worth noting former Audi, Ferrari, Genesis and Lamborghini design lead Juanma Lopez joined Xpeng as head of design in 2024 and this newcomer will no doubt reflect his input.Likely to measure up between the 4.75m long G6 and 4.89m long G9, the G7 will almost certainly ride on the same ‘SEPA’ platform as the G6 and P7+, which means 800V electric architecture for ultra-fast charging (10-80 per cent in 20min).This also points to a single-motor, rear-wheel drive configuration with a choice of standard or long-range batteries, although the company's public relations chief's recent statement that a “very powerful car” will be publicly listed by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) this week strongly suggests there will also be a dual-motor, AWD variant.At the same time XPeng is embracing AI-driven driver-assistance systems and CarNewsChina believes the G7 is likely to be the brand’s first model to use a ‘self-developed’ smart driving chip supporting its ‘XNGP’ ADAS tech. 

The electric SUV market has been Tesla’s since the Model Y arrived down under in 2022, with few rivals fit enough to challenge it from a range, price or technological perspective.The competition has finally expanded in 2024, with cut-price Chinese and South Korean rivals gunning for the Model Y’s crown.So, do they have the spec sheets to prove it?We’ve put two of the most compelling Model Y rivals – the Kia EV5 and Xpeng G6 – head-to-head on paper with Australia’s top-selling EV to determine whether Tesla really has anything to worry about.The Model Y is comfortably the leader when it comes to cargo space, offering what the brand claims is an additional 334-litres of additional storage over the Kia EV5 and a further 273-litres over the Xpeng G6.It must be mentioned, however, that Tesla only quotes the space between the boot floor and the Model Y's roof, while most other brands only quote boot space to rear window line.That said, the Model Y is known for its huge cargo capacity, adding an additional 117 litres under the bonnet, besting the Kia EV5 by 50 litres, while the Xpeng G6 is void of a front trunk entirely.The discrepancies in cargo space are quite staggering when you factor in that the Model Y and Xpeng G6 are practically on par when it comes to dimensions, with the G6 actually 2mm longer than the Model Y and 26mm taller.Tesla credits the Model Y's huge expansiveness to the Model Y's electric underpinnings, which positions the electric motor (or motors) closer to the axles, making way for additional cabin space.Cargo space aside, the Model Y's huge width can make it feel a quite daunting to park, particularly when car parks don't always subscribe to the minimum 2.4m width they're required to. For those who prefer a slimmer car, the Kia EV5 is the safest bet.When purchasing an EV, arguably the most important factor (beside cost) is range, and in this key metric the Xpeng G6 Long Range has either of its competitors beaten decisively. It carries an additional 47km over the Model Y and a whopping 70km over the EV5.It has them both on another key metric as well – DC fast-charging time. According to Xpeng's claim for the G6 Long Range, you'll spend 18 fewer minutes at a charging station than you will charging the equivalent EV5, or seven minutes less on the equivalent Model Y. In a world of shortening attention spans and impatient drivers, that will undoubtedly make the G6 more appealing.Achieving that figure, however, is obviously dependent on the charger meeting the max capacity of 280kW, which depends on how closely you live to a fast-charging station, which are unfortunately less common than one would hope. The Model Y might have the G6 in that respect, given it operates its own network of chargers across Australia with 250kW capacity pylons commonplace, the majority of which are exclusive to Tesla vehicles.Despite having the largest battery pack, the Kia EV5 falls short on both of its rivals with a comparatively long charging time at 38 minutes at a maximum capacity of just 141kW.In terms of speed and acceleration, the Model Y is streets ahead of the competition, a less practical metric but one that is undoubtedly appealing for some prospective buyers.Its dazzling 0-100km/h time of 5.0 seconds is followed by the EV5's at 6.1 seconds, which is closely followed by the G6 at 6.2 seconds. The EV5 leads the way with power at 308kW, 32kW more than the Model Y and 108kW more than the G6, while the Model Y has them both covered with torque, giving it a class-leading towing capacity of 1600kg.Since going on sale in the US in 2019, the Model Y is yet to receive a comprehensive facelift, both inside or out.Despite the upgraded 'Juniper' model being earmarked to arrive next year, it's unlikely we will see a comprehensive redesign of the interior, with the combined central driver's display/multimedia display set to remain the standard for 2025 as we saw on the updated Model 3.Tesla purists swear by it, but there are many in the automotive world who are rightly critical of the speedometer being located on the central screen where it exists alongside practically every other vehicle function.Adopting an interior layout that appears to be inspired by the Model Y, Xpeng have gone a step further by installing a 10.2-inch digital driver display, and though the majority of vehicle controls are still commanded through the central infotainment screen, it will no doubt be a more approachable configuration for prospective buyers.It's the Kia EV5 that takes the crown for the most compelling cabin, which is headlined by the integrated panoramic display, a simple, user-friendly display that Kia models have become known for in recent years. On the EV5, that includes twin 12.3-inch touchscreen displays and a smaller 5.0-inch touchscreen for climate controls wedged between.The EV5 – and the G6 – are both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible, with Tesla eschewing the software in favour of its own in-house system.All three vehicles carry wireless charging capability, a panoramic sunroof, synthetic leather upholstery and heated front seats as standard, but only one model – the EV5 – provides the option of a massage function for the driver and an augmented reality head-up display.Additionally, if you opt for the top-spec GT-Line variant, you'll get a storage area in the second row that can cool and heat up food, as well as an eight-speaker Harman/Kardon premium sound system.Tesla's stereo is considered one of the best in the business, though.Dual-zone climate only comes on the EV5 and G6, while only the G6 carries an air purification system.These days, especially for EVs, its all about price. And who can undercut the competition with its low-cost manufacturing capacity more than anyone else? China.Despite all three models being built for the Australian market in China, its the Chinese-owned Xpeng G6 that takes the cake from a price perspective. With a starting price of just $54,800 before on-road cost, its $1100 cheaper than the Tesla Model Y and $1,970 cheaper than the base-model Kia EV5.Prices are at before on-road costsPrice is arguably the most important factor informing a customer's decision to purchase an EV, and when you combine that with a better driving range and charging time than both of its key rivals, the answer of which EV makes the strongest case – the Xpeng G6 – becomes clear cut.Having said that, all three vehicles make a compelling case in terms of value, with very little separating them on price or performance.Regardless of preferences, that signals exciting times ahead for the EV market, particularly when you compare it to how it looked just two years ago when Tesla appeared untouchable.

If you really don’t like Tesla boss Elon Musk, where are you supposed to get a good electric car?It’s a question on many people’s lips because, right now, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y siblings offer the best balance of affordability, performance, technology and cabin space of any mainstream electric car on the market. As a new challenger, a brand like Xpeng — along with the likes of BYD, Leapmotor, Aion, Deepal and plenty more — will be looking to scoop potential Tesla customers. But do Elon’s political movements bode well for new brands looking for fresh buyers?The answer, according to Jason Clarke, the CEO of Xpeng importer TrueEV, is more complex than a simple ‘yes’.“Tesla is an incredible brand. You can have thoughts on Elon Musk — positive or negative or neutral — but it was groundbreaking, what they did,” said Clarke, who is an admirer of the way Tesla disrupted the market with the Model S that landed in Australia 10 years ago. “They weren't cheap, and there was no real charging infrastructure and people worked it out, sorted it out. Range anxiety? Forget it. It was desirable, aspirational, all of that. And it was groundbreaking. “Now you've got a Model Y and 3 and it's kind of pedestrian; they're just EVs now, so where does Tesla go?” He said. Clarke, however, sees the value in Xpeng not being so involved in Australia’s early phase of electric vehicles. There’s less pressure and expectation of a new nameplate — it’s a clean slate. Plus, there’s the benefit of surfing some of the education and awareness about electric car ownership and charging that carmakers like Tesla, Nissan, Renault and others had to invest in. “If a brand, Tesla, is in market really fiercely protecting or spruiking what they have — its importance to the environment, economy and so on — that is good for us. A strong Tesla is good for Xpeng, I really believe that.“It’s like two cafes in the street rather than one, it brings more customers,” said Clarke. Clarke appreciates Elon’s willingness to say things and be seen in this business, something others may find jarring. It’s good for business. “I think if you flipped it and Tesla was problematic and had a low market cap and some problems and Elon Musk was demure, that whole category suffers, I believe. You don't necessarily love it on the political side of it. You can loathe it. But is still, front and centre, an electric vehicle technology company,” Clarke said. Xpeng has entered the Australian market with its first offering, the G6 mid-size SUV. With a sharp sub-$60K price, 800-volt electrics for sub-20-minute fast charge and driving range up to 570km, it will be a real headache for the Tesla Model Y, Australia's favourite EV. The brand will expand its range next year with a twin-motor G6 Performance model, along with the X9 people mover. Also likely are the G9 large SUV and the P7+ large sedan, which is Xpeng’s most performance-oriented model. Xpeng has opened its first location in Mascot, inside the Sydney Airport precinct. It is part of a network that will expand beyond 12 locations by the end of 2025 leveraging ‘experience centre’ type stores along with traditional dealer franchises. The goal for Xpeng, which sees itself as a rival for Tesla, BYD, Volkswagen, Kia and Hyundai, is to become a top-five electric car seller, on the way to the target of 25,000 annual sales in Australia. Battery electric vehicles are the main focus for now but Clarke didn't rule out hybrids in the future. The bosses back in China are keen for any product that works in Oz, but Clarke likes the idea of consistency.Xpeng is developing more than just passenger cars, too. Artificial intelligence, humanoid robots and flying machines are all in Xpeng’s future. Flying cars are not ruled out, either.

The Xpeng G6 has entered the rapidly expanding and extremely competitive electric medium SUV segment. Priced to compete with the Tesla Model Y at $54,800, before on-road costs, the 2025 Xpeng G6 boasts stats impressive enough to make the Tesla’s $55,900 best-seller sit up and pay attention. Under the skin, the G6 uses 800-volt architecture and boasts up to 570km driving range, comparable — if not better — than $20,000 dearer rivals like the Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD ($79,590), Hyundai Ioniq 5 Epiq ($84,300), Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium ($79,990) and Polestar 4 ($78,500, all before on-road costs). The significance of Xpeng’s 800-volt electric system is charge time, with owners able to recuperate the larger 87.5kWh lithium-ion (NMC) battery from 10-80 per cent in less than 20 minutes, just as Hyundai-Kia’s E-GMP platform allows. You’ll also find this in luxury vehicles like the Porsche Taycan and its Audi e-tron GT relation.The question is, how has Xpeng saved the money? Imported by TrueEV in Australia, Xpeng says it is all to do with streamlined production steps — and it’s pleasingly nerdy. Like Tesla’s ‘Gigacasting’, Xpeng is moving to simpler vehicle construction, with the SEPA 2.0 platform's one-piece castings integrating 300 individual parts into one element. But there are less visible advancements, too. Technical Advisor at TrueEV Andrew Morcos told CarsGuide about the lessons learned from stripping down a G6 to understand its structure and parts make-up. “I pulled Mercs apart for years. You've got so many different modules, and they go half copper, half CAN Bus. The way you undo these things, make it very complicated”, explained Morcos. Typically, the different modules used by OEMs for various purposes — adaptive cruise control, lighting, in-car entertainment, for example — will communicate in their own ‘languages’. The signals are then translated into universal CAN protocol for the main onboard computer, which communicates information to the occupants or other elements of the vehicle. “When we undid the , everything was so easy to undo with clips … instead of having 10 modules, they’ll have one module that does all of the left-hand side, one module does all the right-hand side and they’re in easy positions to get to.“Because the whole car runs on CAN Bus system, it can communicate in micro seconds. That's why the whole thing is dedicated to autonomous driving, to have reaction times,” said Morcos.  “They've designed this whole system — I reckon they spent more time designing this part of the system than the actual body — they pieced it all together and you can see how delicately they put it for diagnosis, and how everything reacts to each other module and it's very simple to diagnose what the problem is, that's what we found out.”With CAN Bus, instead of a ‘rats nest’ of different, heavy cables, the bulk of the wiring harness can be simplified into two wires — one there, one back. It’s lighter, simpler and should be faster. “This whole car, from 4G to the blinker system, no matter what it is in the car, it all works on their CAN Bus system, and it's and it's very responsive,” added Morcos. Tesla is also pushing forward with elegant solutions for in-car electronics, with boss Elon Musk allegedly sending a ‘how-to design a 48-volt architecture’ pamphlet to major manufacturers, including Ford. Its Cybertruck uses 48-volt electronics everywhere, allowing its steer-by-wire system. The G6 promises rapid processing speeds with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip powering the 15-inch touchscreen and, while the phrase ‘software defined vehicle’ makes everyone in the CarsGuide office groan, it is the future of electric cars. It drives more than the multimedia system too, in theory making the whole experience more seamless. “I've had Tesla technicians come into our car in Melbourne — to spy on us — and they came in and said, ‘man, the refresh rate, processing speed and the quality, it's far superior than ours’,” said Morcos, showing signs of promise for the new G6. Of course, this all comes with one big caveat: We’re yet to drive the G6, or any of Xpeng’s products, in Australia. They could have annoying driver aids, a poor ride, or clunky multimedia systems. Or not. Either way, we’ll have an answer early next year. Unlike Polestar and some European marques, such as Renault, Xpeng does not openly discuss its battery pack’s constituents. The brand does sell vehicles in the EU, which requires battery passports for all vehicles from 2027. Speaking to TrueEV CEO Jason Clarke, it is clear that Xpeng’s target is fixed on the back of Tesla. The importer aims to make Xpeng one of the top-five electric vehicle brands in Australia. The first model to launch is the Xpeng G6, which is on-sale now in two trim levels with a Performance grade to join next year, followed by the X9 people mover. In the near future, expect a larger G9 SUV and a sporty sedan, known as the P7. Prices listed are before on-road costs

ANCAP has released a raft of new scores for eight new models which have landed in Australia this year, with some notable new entrants falling short of the maximum five-star rating.

The Australian new car landscape is changing rapidly with the onslaught of new Chinese brands landing on our shores in the past 12 months.

Getting out among new car buyers can be a rare occurrence in this line of work, with a focus on new products and the promises of executives filling our regular days. So it was refreshing to man the CarsGuide EV advice stand at the 2024 Sydney International EV show for the weekend and get some insight into how electric car buyers think. Although it was a smaller footprint than Sydney Motor Shows of old, fervent visitors started filling the halls from 9am on all three days. In total, more than 30,000 bodies passed through the doors over the weekend. The overwhelming takeaway from talking to buyers was this sect of Aussies was not at all concerned about brand history, with Toyota and Ford’s stands dramatically quieter than the barely-known start-ups from China such as Xpeng, Zeekr and Deepal.It helps that these new marques dressed their stands to impress. Aside from a wild flying machine, XPeng also had a luxurious seven-seat people mover essentially purpose-built to generate public interest with a huge rear entertainment screen and ‘business class’ reclining rear seats with heating, cooling and foot rests. The G6 is the first retail model from XPeng and it was also well-trafficked, along with the larger G9 the brand is considering for local release. Zeekr turned up with the X small SUV along with a few extra bits of eye-candy like the confirmed-for-oz 009 people mover, a 475kW 007 sedan in a lewd yellow paint colour and a 001 FR the Geely-owned marque’s Polestar 2-related first model. The other new entrant was Deepal, which is being imported by well-known company Inchcape that also handles Subaru, Foton, Peugeot and previously Citroen. Along with the classic Tesla Model Y rival, the S07 electric family SUV, Deepal had some cool stuff. Namely, a Cybertruck-like electric and range-extender compatible E05 electric sedan-pick-up amalgamation that was catching attention. Kia’s front-and-centre placement helped drive plenty of traffic to the brand’s new EV5 while also making Hyundai’s lack of presence quite obvious. With the Tasman due next year and the EV5’s sharp price, it’s a brand that’s sure to go from strength to strength. Tesla’s presence was held up by the Australian owner’s club while BYD was represented by a dealer, with an unfortunate lack of Shark utes on the stand. It was Ford and Toyota that were visibly the lowest traffic OEMs over the weekend, and Australia’s third most-popular brand Mazda didn’t even turn up with its plug-in hybrids. With a pair of bZ4Xs on display and charge-box-on-wheels, Toyota’s wasn’t exactly a dull stand yet it proves that people are more interested in the whizz-bang new models — that’s the point of a motor show, after all. As for Ford, despite having prime real estate among the newcomers, it seemed that not so many punters were interested in the Mach-E and plug-in hybrid Ford Ranger Stormtrak, even with the ute’s vehicle-to-load system that can power a coffee machine, TV, work tools and more.Some other mainstream carmakers present were Audi, BMW, Cupra and Volvo though these stands were notably smaller than the others. As for other brands from China, Chery and GWM proved relatively popular but the Smart stand was quiet. MG’s choice to only bring a Cyberster rather than the affordable MG4 seemed a bit short-sighted — next year, maybe.The most common line of questioning was if we would recommend the XPeng G6 and what the best alternatives to a Tesla Model Y are — we fielded almost no questions about the bZ4X or plug-in hybrid Ford Ranger Stormtrak. Plenty of test drives were taken over the three days and at one point on Sunday, you would have had to queue for four hours to sample XPeng’s new G6. But what does all this tell us about the new car landscape?MG has already proven sharp pricing can drive mega traffic into electric vehicles and that, when EVs reach parity with combustion-engined and hybrid options, they are much more attractive. In this case, customers aren’t cross-shopping, say, a Tesla Model Y with just other EVs, but similarly-priced combustion and hybrid models, too. Electric cars aren’t competing with themselves, but in a battle to bring the other 90.6 per cent of the new car market out of combustion and hybrid-engined choices. Most worrying for big carmakers, though, will be the lack of brand devotion. Despite what the bZ4X advertising campaign suggests, there were very few talking about Toyota’s proven low-cost servicing or reliability. Instead, the long seven- and even ten-year warranties of newcomers seemed enough to allay most fears. Don’t expect Toyota, Ford or Mazda sales to drop off a cliff anytime soon, but the interest and willingness of local buyers to branch out and sample an unknown product will definitely cause a headache.