Xpeng: New Chinese electric-car start-up coming to Australia this year
The latest car manufacturer to confirm plans for an Australian launch is an electric-car start-up with a Tesla Model Y EV competitor.
Electric-car brand Xpeng is the latest manufacturer from China to announce plans to sell its cars in Australia, due in showrooms by the end of this year.
Xpeng – founded in 2014 by a group of automotive and tech-company executives – already sells cars in China and Europe, and has announced plans to expand into right-hand-drive markets in the UK and South-East Asia.
The electric-car start-up is due to launch in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2024 (October to December) with the G6, a mid-size SUV intended to rival the Tesla Model Y, Australia's top-selling electric vehicle.
Xpeng vehicles will be distributed locally by an independent importer, TrueEV, which is a new company but claims it is "backed by years of experience in the automotive and tech industries".
The importer says it will operate "branded showrooms" around Australia, but is yet to detail where they will be located, and if vehicles will be sold primarily online.
In China, the Xpeng G6 is priced from 205,900 yuan – close to 20 per cent cheaper than a base Tesla Model Y, which in Australia is priced from $60,900 plus on-road costs.
It is the fifth model from Xpeng – sold alongside a larger G9 SUV, P5 and P7 sedans, and X9 people-mover – which has signed a deal with Volkswagen to co-develop electric cars for the Chinese market.
Overseas, there is a choice of three models – rear-wheel-drive 66kWh standard range, rear-wheel-drive 87.5kWh long range, and all-wheel-drive 87.5kWh long range.
Single-motor rear-wheel-drive versions develop 218kW/440Nm – with 580km or 755km of claimed driving range respectively in more-lenient Chinese CLTC lab testing – while the dual-motor all-wheel-drive model has 358kW/660Nm, and a 700km CLTC range.
The top-of-the-range model is capable of 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.9 seconds.
The battery packs run at 800 volts, and can charge at up to 280kW for a 10 to 80 per cent recharge in an estimated 20 minutes, according to Xpeng.
More details of the 2025 Xpeng G6 – and any models that follow – in Australia are due closer to its local launch later this year.
Xpeng is one of a number of Chinese car makers launching in Australia over the next 18 months, alongside Zeekr (owned by Volvo's parent company Geely) and GAC Aion.