FIRST DRIVE We try first car from VW-backed Chinese brand to reach Europe
John Mahoney
IT feels like not a week passes without yet another Chinese brand declaring grand ambitions to conquer the world. Many sink without a trace, but XPeng might be the real thing. Founded just 10 years ago, the brand has already launched five vehicles and, by the end of 2024, will be on sale in 50 per cent of European markets, plus the UK.
The G6 is the first car to arrive here, and the mere details of this mid-size all-electric SUV last year were enough to tempt the Volkswagen Group into ploughing $700million (£548m) into the company.
It’s easy to see why. Underpinning the Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5 rival is XPeng’s sparkling SEPA 2.0 architecture, and it’s a formidable building block that gives the G6 an edge over its rivals.
The platform means the G6 has some of the fastest charging around, regardless of price, and helps deliver good efficiency. In the near future the platform will also help XPeng lead its class for self-driving tech but crucially, its low-cost design will help the brand undercut rivals on price.
In the metal, the G6 follows the bigger G9 SUV, and P5 and P7 saloons, with smooth styling combined with a grille that features flaps that shut at speed. Hidden door handles, a flat underbelly and a streamlined tail ensure the new XPeng is among the most aerodynamic offerings in its class.
The three powertrains include a rear-wheel-drive single-motor version with a 66kWh battery that produces 255bhp and can cover up to 270 miles, plus a Long Range rear-drive model with a bigger 87.5kWh battery that musters 282bhp and has a range of up to 354 miles. The flagship dual-motor version uses the same long-range battery pack, but pumps out 469bhp and offers up to 342 miles of range.
All of those figures are recorded on the slightly artificial Euro WLTP test cycle, but are claimed to be easily repeatable in the real world, thanks to the G6’s efficiency.
Performance for all three models is on par with rivals. The RWD Standard can go from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds, the mid-spec RWD Long Range is 0.2sec quicker, and the dual-motor AWD Performance manages a very respectable 4.1 seconds.
Where the XPeng edges cars like the Tesla is with its charging speed: all three models can be topped up from 10-80 per cent in just 20 minutes. In fact, the more expensive RWD Long Range and AWD Performance models can suck up electrons even more quickly, with an 18ish-minute charge p
