Less than two months after debuting its fifth production EV called the G6, XPeng Motors’ CEO He Xiaopeng shared that the Chinese automaker is already busy on a sixth model called the X9. This will be XPeng’s first attempt at a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) that it looks to utilize in targeting a certain demographic overseas.
XPeng Motors has been quite busy in 2023, and the last few months especially. After rolling out what it described as some of the most advanced and capable ADAS in China, XPeng debuted its new SEPA 2.0 modular EV architecture to support it.
Two days later, the public got its first official look at the EV to debut on the new platform, a coupe SUV called the G6. Production is reportedly underway with first customer deliveries in China imminent and plans for shipments to the EU presumedly to follow.
In the past, we’ve had to wait several months, if not a year, to hear about XPeng’s newest EV model, but according to a recent social media post from the automaker’s chair and CEO, an MPV is already in the works.
Here’s a our first (brief) taste of the XPeng X9.
XPeng looks to garner younger customers with X9 MPV
XPeng Motors and its CEO have previously alluded to plans to eventually develop and sell a multi-purpose EV – quite a niche market in China popular for its size (seven seats) and modularity, whether its for taxi services, family trips, or transporting larger groups and their belongings.
During a recent earnings call earlier this month, executives for XPeng reiterated plans for an MPV code named X9, expected to arrive in Q4 of this year. However, following the latest Weibo post from XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng, the X9 appears to be the official model name. Per the post:
In addition to G6, we have been polishing a new MPV — X9 recently, and we will use this product to open up the ‘young’ MPV market.
As previously touched upon, the MPV market isn’t exactly sexy or appealing to younger customers, unless perhaps they have large families. There are only 4-5 viable models to choose from overseas. With the X9, XPeng appears to be working to deliver an all-electric MPV that is sleeker and more appealing than that of a Buick GL8 or Denza D9 – both of which resemble glorified minivans.
We’ve recently seen other innovative EV companies follow a similar path. Geely’s all-electric ZEEKR brand has been producing an MPV for China called the 009 since January, adding more competition to the tiny segment. We are sure to learn (and see) more of the X9 from XPeng soon.
Author: Scooter Doll
Source: Electrek
