Chinese car maker Xpeng has confirmed its entry into the UK market. Xpeng’s first cars will go on sale in time for the new 25 registration plate in March next year.
Founded in 2014, Xpeng is led by the charismatic CEO He Xiaopeng. The brand is being imported by International Motors (IM Group), which also sells Subaru, Isuzu and fellow Chinese brand GWM (Great Wall Motors) through its UK dealer network.
Speaking exclusively to The Independent, IM Group managing director William Brown said “the plan is that we will launch the first model in March next year, which is the G6.”
The G6, a crossover rival to the Tesla Model Y, is already on sale in Europe and features an advanced 800V platform for fast charging, 66kWh or 87.5kWh batteries for a maximum range of 354 miles, a 15-inch infotainment and 10-inch driver display, Xpeng’s advanced driver assistance systems and a high level of standard kit.
We drove the Xpeng G6 as part of the judging process for German Car of the Year back in June 2023, coming away impressed by the thoughtfulness and quality of the interior, the easy-to-drive nature of the electric powertrain, the comfort of the ride quality and the space on offer – especially the huge 571 litre boot. We described it as ‘like a Tesla Model Y with the benefit of hindsight’.
“The G6 will be the first model we launch and then we’re working with them to potentially launch the X9, which is their flagship MPV,” said Brown. “It’s currently only on sale in China at the moment, but they’re doing a right-hand drive version. It’s early days, but we would like to bring that to market if possible, so that will likely be the end of next year.”
That will only be the start, Brown revealed. “In total we could have five models within the next three years. So the next one on the table after the X9 is probably the G9. The G9 is already on sale in Europe as left hand drive. It’s a big saloon.
“[Xpeng] is planning a fairly major update to that car, and at that time they’ll make it into a right hand drive derivative. So that should be available at some point in 2026. Moving forward from there, there’s potentially talk of another model in 2026, which I haven’t got the details of yet, then a further model in 2027. I think they’ll be SUVs or crossovers.”
Xpeng describes the X9 as “the starship of tomorrow” and Brown wants to recategorise it as something other than an MPV. “The X9 is more of a cross between an MPV and an SUV,” he says. “It’s a seven seater, but it’s got a really ingenious seat system in the back. It’s either a four-seater or a seven-seater and it’s got these very luxurious seats; two seats in the back with a massage feature and everything.”
The Xpeng X9 has fully autonomous functionality in China, which Brown experienced. “I was in the X9 last week in China and I didn’t drive it, the car drove me. It was incredible. I’ve never been in a fully autonomous car.
“I came out of the head office and got in the car, there was a woman next to me and she said we were going to do a loop back to the office. She put the navigation in, the car drove itself out onto the road and navigated the traffic all on its own. She didn’t have her feet on the accelerator or the brake. She had her hands lightly on the steering wheel as required, but the car moved itself, indicating when needed and even safely crossing three lanes of traffic.
“We came to a tight corner and the car slowed down. I asked why the car was slowing and was told that the X9 was looking at other cars around it and anticipating that they were going to pull out, so it slows its speed down. It was doing the same with cyclists.”
Xpeng sells the self-driving technology in its cars, as Brown explained. “Xpeng has got a really clear story. It’s a technology company that builds cars. It’s not a car company that integrates technology.
“The technology is the element that they focus on most and the car is built around the technology. If you’ve got a car and you’ve got a battery in an EV, you can have a really great car, but unless the computer system or the management system linking the two together works really well, things start to fall down. But because Xpeng is a technology-first company, it’s one of the few EVs that you get into and everything works like an EV should.
“The range is pretty much what it says in terms of WLTP, it’s faster to charge, it’s got a good range. All the systems are intuitive. The car is on an 800V platform with 280kW fast charging speeds too, so it will go from 10 to 80 per cent charge in less than 20 minutes.”
On price, we’d expect the Xpeng G6 to be in the region of £40,000 to £45,000. “In Europe they’ve priced it at five to eight per cent lower than a Tesla Model Y,” said Brown, “And we’ll have a standard range and a long-range model.”
Xpeng cars will be on sale through a selection of around 20 of IM Group’s established retailer network. “We’ll have a blended approach,” says Brown. “We’ll have traditional dealers that are very much retail focused. We’ll also have dealers that are more used to selling through fleets, so leasing higher end products on a monthly payment. We’ll be much more focused on the online journey.”
Brown is clearly very pleased that IM Group has secured the rights to selling Xpeng in the UK, which is already gathering quite a following across the rest of Europe. “We feel privileged to have the opportunity to represent Xpeng,” he said. “Although the whole industry is dealing with EVs at the moment, selling them is still a big challenge. I think Xpeng is looking at the trajectory of the EV market.
“What are the brands you’d want to have in 2030? Xpeng will be up there at the top, because it’s where the technology’s going. We’re really excited that come 2030, this is going to be one of the brands that everybody will be talking about. It’s going to be quite disruptive.”
