Guangzhou-based brand Xpeng, one of China’s emerging EV startups, has detailed its new G9 flagship SUV with some extraordinary claims and a self-described focus on global markets.
The series production Xpeng G9 goes on sale in China in October this year as a rival to vehicles such as the Audi e-tron, with one headline being its 800V electrical system capable of using Xpeng’s radical 480kW DC charger.
This charger is said to be capable of charging the Xpeng G9 from 10-80 per cent inside 15 minutes, or to add about 200km of range within five minutes. Xpeng says it aims to open up a total of 2000 supercharging locations across China by 2025, in a similar approach to Tesla.
Rear-wheel drive models use a 230kW and 430Nm drive motor with a 6.4sec 0-100km/h claim and offer driving ranges on the lenient CLTC cycle of 570km, or 702km for the long-range. For context, the 570km claim equates to about 460km on the European WLTP cycle.
All-wheel drive models add a 175kW and 287Nm front axle motor, cut the 0-100km/h time to just 3.9sec, and offer a claimed 650km driving range. Xpeng mentions a Boost Mode that helps the vehicle reach its maximum torque in a claimed 0.15 seconds.
Underneath the body, the G9 uses double-wishbone suspension at the front and five-link suspension at the rear, and double-chamber air suspension with 100mm of height adjustment.
The active driver-assist functions appear advanced. There are dual Nvidia Drive Orin chips delivering 508 trillion operations per second, and 31 sensors including two LiDARs offering claimed “industry-first full-scenario driver assistance”.
Inside, Xpeng’s voice assistant is powered by MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology, meaning it can respond to commands from all four areas of the cabin. The assistant is said to respond in milliseconds and control more than 600 vehicle functions without a network connection.
The sound system has 28 speakers, a 2250W output, and offers an immersive experience that includes seat vibrations, changes to the ambient lighting, adjustable air conditioning, and customized fragrances when watching a film or listening to music.
Safety-wise, Xpeng says it designed the G9 for both the Chinese and international markets and reckons it should meet five-star NCAP requirements. But time will tell.
In China the G9 will start from 309,900 RMB (A$66,500) up to 469,900 RMB (A$105,500) with the first deliveries for customers expected in October.
While currently focused on China, Xpeng is going global, with presence already in Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Xpeng’s other vehicles include the P7 luxury sedan and G3i small SUV.
Xpeng Motors was founded in 2015 in Guangzhou by Xiaopeng He, Heng Xia and Tao He.
Heng and Tao previously had experience as executives at established Chinese carmaker GAC Group (perhaps most famous internationally for its Trumpchi brand and joint-venture with Honda), whilst Xiaopeng had previously worked at e-commerce giant Alibaba.
The company has since grown rapidly to be publicly listed on both the NYSE and the Hong Kong stock exchanges.
It claims to have delivered a total of 98,155 vehicles in 2021.
MORE: Brand overview on Xpeng
