Chinese BEV challenger Xpeng showcased this week its G6 and G9 SUVs at an event in France that “announced its arrival”, the firm says, in another market. The firm’s list of country debuts this year gets ever longer.
Just a week before making its bow in France, the firm announced a tie-up with Australian EV dealership True EV to bring Xpeng vehicle to Australia. The G6 will debut there by Q4, the firm says.
Asia-Pacific has been something of a focus for Xpeng. Last month, it inked a partnership with dealer Sime Darby to enter the Hong Kong market. Delivery of models including the G6 and seven-seater MPV X9 are expected to start there from Q3.
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At the same time, Xpeng announced a partnership with Xin Kang Heng to begin deliveries of the G6, G9, X9 and P7i sedan to Macau from May. In late March, the firm also announced a partnership with Thailand’s Neo Mobility, backed by state oil firm PTT, and officially launched Xpeng in Thailand at the Bangkok motor show.
It has also struck alliances with Premium Automobiles in Singapore and Bermaz Auto in Malaysia. It will offer the G6 across all three markets, and start delivering from Q3.
Far and wide
But it is not just markets close to its Chinese home that have caught Xpeng’s eye. In February, it announced it had struck dealer partnerships in the UAE, Egypt, Azerbaijan, Jordan and Lebanon.
It started P7 and G9 deliveries in Israel and Azerbaijan in late 2023, and will start delivering those vehicles in Jordan and Lebanon from Q2, and in Egypt from Q3. The UAE will get the G6 and G9 from Q3.
And France is not alone in getting Xpeng attention in Europe. The firm announced its official entry into the German market in late March and, at that point, flagged planned debuts to come not just in France but also in Italy and the UK. It trumpeted “strong sales figures already in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands”, and said it was “aiming to secure a 3pc market share for the new energy vehicle segment in Germany by the end of the year”.
“Unlike other Chinese manufacturers, Xpeng operates through an established network of dealers for its sales strategy,” the firm said at the time. “When sales start in May, Xpeng will be represented at 24 retail locations across Germany, with a roadmap for this to grow to 120 retail locations by the end of 2026.”
The G9 and P7 sports sedan are slated for German launch this month, “with a further model to follow in the coming months”.
And Xpeng last month also struck a deal with retailer Salvador Caetano Auto to distribute the firm’s vehicle in Spain and Portugal. Deliveries will commence sometime before the end of the year.
Go big or go home
The firm may be targeting rapidly building out an international presence over concerns about competition in its domestic market. Visiting the Anhui plant of its German OEM partner Volkswagen this week, Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng warned that the Chinese market was "full of challenges".
"I think, by 2030, maybe only seven OEMs are left standing," he predicts. "I hope VW and Xpeng are among those left standing. We should both survive until then — and we are among the top three."
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