2024 Xpeng G6 detailed: What to expect from the new Chinese Tesla Model Y fighter as new brand plans 'aggressive' roll-out in Australia

Xpeng, a dedicated EV start-up from China, made the surprise and sudden announcement that it would launch in Australia before the end of 2024, leading with its G6 mid-size SUV. 

To find out more about the brand and its first model in Australia, CarsGuide spoke to Jason Clarke, CEO of the brand’s importer True EV.

Clarke confirmed several missing puzzle pieces from the announcement, like the fact that the brand had been secretly testing several models Down Under for some time and that it was just “weeks” away from ADR approval for the G6 specifically.

Read more

Another Chinese car brand confirmed for Australia this year! Upmarket Xpeng electric automaker to have Tesla Model Y challenging G6 SUV on sale before the end of 2024 Is this the next Chinese electric car brand to enter the Australian market? Hyundai Ioniq 5, Toyota bZ4X rival to get right-hand drive version Popular Chinese cars in Australia like the 2024 GWM Tank 500, Haval Jolion, and MG ZS are just the tip of the iceberg and no manufacturer is safe | Opinion

He also confirmed the timeline was to launch before the end of 2024 for the mid-size electric SUV, but that it would only be for the entry-level rear-wheel drive variant initially, and that it would be competitive on price for the segment.

“There will be just the one base variant at launch. Exact details are yet to be confirmed, but within a year we’ll have three variants on sale”

Those extra two variants appear to be the long range battery version, with the all-wheel drive performance version eventually sitting atop the range, in a very similar range to the Tesla Model Y.

As for price? Clarke said “that’s still to be resolved”, but that it would be targeting “sub-$60k for the base model.”

“It was our choice to bring G6 to market,” Clarke said of the cars the factory has made available in right hand drive.

The base G6 packs a 66kWh battery pack

“It is a competitive space, we’re fully aware of that, but the audience - especially the EV audience are calling out for something like the G6. The quality of manufacture and fit and finish is extraordinary. We identified brands in China and shortlisted some (to distribute in Australia) and [the G6] was head and shoulders above what we looked at.”

For reference, a sub-$60k starting price would give Xpeng’s SUV challenger a price advantage over the segment-leading Model Y, which currently starts from $60,900 before on-roads.

The base G6 packs a 66kWh battery pack good for a WLTP-certified 435km driving range (thanks to the G6 being on sale in Denmark already) and drives the rear wheels with a 218kW/440Nm electric motor.

The long-range version ups the battery capacity to 87.5kWh and offers a solid 570km on the WLTP standard, while the performance all-wheel-drive version drops range to 550km for the same battery, but ups power outputs to 358kW/660Nm. The performance version can sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds, according to the brand.

Not only does it offer more claimed range and more power than the equivalent Model Y grades, but it also boasts an 800-volt battery architecture, allowing faster charging (at up to 280kW) on a DC unit, with the claimed 10 - 80 per cent charge time being 20 minutes.

Its vast array of autonomous safety equipment utilises radars, ultrasonic sensors, and cameras, and is Nvidia Orin-X powered, while its bespoke software stack running on its 14.96-inch multimedia screen and 10.2-inch digital dash is Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered. Xpeng even develops its own mapping software and has over-the-air software features.

The local importer’s ambitions don’t end with the G6

The front seats can also fold flat and boot space comes in at 571-litres.

When asked on the topic of supply, Clarke said it would be tough with the Australian division having to “fight for supply with other right-hand drive markets”.

“We’re targeting thousands of units by the second full year on sale. Our market testing leads us to believe that.” Clarke explained.

Xpeng globally is in the middle of a right-hand drive blitz, also recently announcing distribution deals in South East Asia, including large markets like Malaysia and Thailand, which the Australian division will have to compete with.

The local importer’s ambitions don’t end with the G6 either, with Clarke saying its rollout plans include the G9 large SUV, which he described as “The Range Rover of China”, either the P7 or the P5 sedan and its X9 luxury people mover to specifically take on the dominant Kia Carnival.

“I think it will re-establish what a van is again. It has the range, the comfort, the tech” Clarke said. “This will be a nice sequence of models to sell to the Australian market.”

So how will you get your hands on a G6? Will Xpeng go direct to consumers like Tesla or Polestar, or will it go for a traditional dealer model? Clarke explains the current plan for the brand is to go with what he describes as a “hybrid model.”

“We’ll do direct to customer [online] but we’re also building out delivery centres in each state. Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide first, then we’ll expand via partners. This could be via an agency or franchise model.”

So how will you get your hands on a G6?

Servicing is also an area where the brand has some work to do, but Clarke says it is currently in discussions with an as-yet-unnamed group “with several hundred locations in Australia.”

Its network plans don’t end there though, Xpeng also wants to enter the hardware game to support its buyers with convenient charging locations, in much the same way Tesla did when it first moved to Australia.

“At this stage we’re looking to roll out a joint venture for a charging network with our service partner, and at other locations as well. We’re also looking at the design of those charging locations to make sure it matches the brand.”

Clarke confirmed that the G6 was “almost there” for ADR approval so it can go on sale before the end of the year, adding “The launch is flagged for Q3 of this year, with deliveries starting in Q4. We have to be aggressive and assertive in this space.”