Update: ‘Platform, price, and release date’ section and ‘Ultra-fast charging’ sub-section of ‘Iron-based battery’ updated and ‘XNGP’ section added.
Buoyed by the success of the Xpeng P7, Xpeng Motors plans to launch more premium EVs. The company has a line-up of four models and is planning to expand it to six EVs in 2023, Co-Founder and CEO He Xiaopeng said during its Q2 2022 earnings conference call on August 23, 2022.
In 2023, we plan to launch a new B-class model, which will help us expand our market share in this segment. We’ll also roll out a new C-class model next year to bring a compelling product to customers in need of additional cabin space with greater comfort.
He Xiaopeng, Co-Founder and CEO, Xpeng Motors (Q2 2022 earnings conference call, August 23, 2022)
Platform, prices & release dates
During the Q2 2021 earnings conference call, Brian Gu, Vice Chairman and President, Xpeng Motors, said that the fifth and sixth Xpeng EV models would sit on a new platform developed for mid- to high-end products and both left-hand drive and right-hand drive markets.
In addition to the G3, the P7 and P5, we will have a new platform that will have both the right-hand and left-hand driving capability target at both domestic and international markets will be a very large volume driver.
Brian Gu, Vice Chairman and President, Xpeng Motors (Q2 2021 earnings conference call, August 2021)
Xiaopeng reaffirmed during the Q2 2022 earnings conference call that the company will build the fifth and sixth EVs on new platforms:
In 2023, we aim to launch two new platforms to develop in total six new vehicles in the future that’s based on our current platforms in total.
He Xiaopeng, Co-Founder and CEO, Xpeng Motors (Q2 2022 earnings conference call, August 23, 2022)
Xpeng ‘G5’ SUV
Possibly called Xpeng G5, the B-Class model will be a mid-size SUV like the Tesla Model Y, priced between CNY 200,000 (USD 28,652) and CNY 300,000 (USD 42,979), Xiaopeng said during the company’s Q3 2022 earnings conference call on November 30, 2022. According to the brand boss, the launch will take place in mid-2023, which means that it could be available in Europe by the end of 2024. Spy pictures reveal that this model is undergoing road tests in China.
Xpeng G6/G7 SUV?
As for the higher C-class model, that EV will offer more cabin space and greater comfort compared to the mid-size SUV, Xiaopeng said during the Q2 2022 earnings conference call. It will arrive in the second half of 2023, the company chief added, but offered no further information. Could this be the Xpeng G6 or Xpeng G7?
XNGP
XNGP is Xpeng Motors’ second-gen ADAS, replacing the first-gen XPILOT. First coming to the Xpeng G9, XNGP should eventually make it to the two new models coming in 2023. “We look forward to enabling our cost-competitive XNGP next year in more models,” Xiaopeng said during the company’s Q3 2022 earnings conference call.
Xpeng Motors developed XNGP as the last step before full-autonomous driving. XNGP offers advanced driver assistance in multiple scenarios, from highways and parking to complex city roads and urban expressways. A highlight of XNGP is its capability to offer advanced driver assistance in areas not covered by high-precision maps, across the country.
Iron-based battery
The Xpeng G9, and maybe the fifth and sixth Xpeng EVs that are to follow, could have a low-end battery pack option with LFP cells. More than 20% of the G3 and P7 models are sold in the LFP configurations.
With the growing supply of LFP cells, we’re confident with the increasing proportion of LFP models among our deliveries in the future.
He Xiaopeng, Co-Founder and CEO, Xpeng Motors (Q2 2021 earnings conference call, August 2021)
Ultra-fast charging
The G9 is the brand’s first EV with a system voltage of 800 volts. It can take advantage of ultra-fast/rapid charging chargers where customers don’t have to wait for more than a few minutes to charge their vehicle.“For G9 and other future models, we are going to adopt the 800-volt, high-voltage charging,” Xiaopeng said during the Q3 earnings conference call held on 23 November 2021.
Introducing the G9, Xpeng Motors had said that the company is rolling out lightweight 480 kW high-voltage supercharging piles with a flow rate capacity of more than 670 amperes. Regarding that aspect, below is what Xiaopeng said during the Q3 earnings conference call:
So for our current charging piles, we are going to upgrade them to — I mean in the future to 360 kilowatt and also in the future, 480 kilowatts. And so as we lay out our deployment of supercharging stations, we are going — I mean, the newer ones, we’re going to take the high-voltage charging facilities, such as 380 kilowatts and 480 kilowatts, for sure.
He Xiaopeng, Co-Founder and CEO, Xpeng Motors (Q3 2021 earnings conference call, November 2021)
When Xpeng Motors launched the G9 in China in September 2022, it showed the EV accepting direct current at 443.5 kW when plugged into one of the company’s new 480 kW S4 supercharging stations. The company plans to have more than 500 S4 supercharging locations in China in 2023 and increase that number to 2,000 by 2025.
Xpeng eyes RHD markets
With its upcoming new premium models, especially the fifth and sixth products ready for RHD markets, Xpeng Motors will likely expand its footprint globally rapidly. UK is one of the biggest RHD markets in the world for electric vehicles, whereas Australia and New Zealand also witnessed traction for zero-emission models in 2022. Like BYD, it could also consider entering Japan.
Our target is to prepare ourselves for the overseas market in both left- and right-hand drive countries within the three years’ time of 2020 to 2022, and accelerate our penetration into international markets with our upcoming Smart EV models equipped with XPILOT 4.0 starting from 2023.
He Xiaopeng, Co-Founder and CEO, Xpeng Motors (Q2 2021 earnings conference call, August 2021)
During the Q3 2021 earnings conference call, Xiaopeng said that, in the future, the company would develop new models keeping in mind not only the domestic market but also European countries. The G9 SUV is the first of that type, and the initial step to becoming a truly global brand.
From 2021 to 2025, we are going to conceive and develop models that are suitable for not just the Chinese market, but for the international market in the sense that we are going to comply with all the safety regulations and environmental regulations to the highest standards in the European market, as well as the global market, in general.
He Xiaopeng, Co-Founder and CEO, Xpeng Motors (Q3 2021 earnings conference call, November 2021)
Featured Image Source: Xpeng Motors
With a Master’s Degree in Business Management & Administration, I’ve been working as an International Automotive News Editor since 2014, and have gained a wealth of knowledge and insight into hybrid and electric vehicles.
