The most recent car brand to launch in the UK could soon be the most popular as Chinese brand Xpeng looks to take the country by storm with its new range of electric vehicles.
At a showcase event in central London, Xpeng officially launched its status as a key player in the UK market, debuting its flagship G6 model in a bid to disrupt the established market and encourage competition to lower costs for motorists.
The G6 SUV has an impressive range of up to 354 miles, rapid charging from 10 to 80 per cent in just 20 minutes and an acceleration speed from 0-62mph of 6.2 seconds. Pre-orders are available now with drivers paying £39,990 for the Standard Range (270 miles) model and £44,990 for the Long Range.
While the G6 will not be seen on UK roads until March, it will instantly launch with the fourth fastest charging model, falling only behind the Lotus Eletre, the Audi e-tron GT and the Porsche Taycan. However, the G6 is at least £40,000 cheaper than all of these vehicles.
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UK deliveries of the Xpeng G6 will begin in March
GB NEWS
The performance SUV has a five-star safety rating, impressive AI capabilities and is packed to the rafters with sensors and cameras. It comes equipped with 12 ultrasonic wave radars, 12 cameras and is powered by the in-demand Nvidia Orin-X processor.
Sitting in the car, you would be amazed at how much they managed to pack into the central console. The infotainment screen, which has become a common staple for all new cars, features pretty much everything a driver would need to access and more.
Drivers and passengers can even set up their own sleep space with single bed mode, dual bed mode and travel mode. Alternatively, long journeys can be passed with built-in apps like Spotify and Apple CarPlay, as well as its own AI companion.
Drivers can even get a 360 view of their vehicle by making use of the numerous cameras and sensors which would work a charm for a tight parking space. Alternatively, it can provide drivers and passengers with a fun bird’s-eye view of their car.
The Xpeng P7+ is defined by its AI capabilities
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Meng Wu, Xpeng’s general manager of overseas product and development, said the G6 was fully equipped for modern family dynamics and provides drivers with a “joyful and easy experience”.
The interior is luxurious too, with heated rear seats, a panoramic glass sunroof and Smart OS5.0 which aims to bring a “laptop experience to the cabin”. All car occupants can wirelessly charge their phones and make use of invisible speakers which are “very rare to see in the industry”.
The brand’s UK product manager Edvards Mecbergs explained how it had a “CASE” centred eco-system with a focus on connectivity, autonomous technology, shared mobility and electric prowess with superior battery range and charging speeds.
Xpeng also plans to launch another new model in Q4 of this year, with the Guangzhou-based manufacturer exhibiting several other vehicles at its launch event. This included the world’s first AI-defined vehicle, the P7+, the “ultra-intelligent” G9, the large X9 MPV and, potentially the brand’s boldest “vehicle”, the eVTOL X2 flying car.
The Xpeng G6 comes equipped with a sleep mode
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The X9 is a flash seven-seater complete with a mini fridge, a large entertainment screen for passengers in the middle row of seats and, impressively, three different fragrances which can be pumped throughout the car including citrus, cedar and calming woods.
It even came equipped with massage seats for the driver and front passenger which felt like sparring with a heavyweight boxer. It can also scan the road ahead and adapt to the surface of the road, which will be particularly handy with Britain’s pothole-strewn roads.
While the smaller details of a car like fragrance boosters and a mini fridge aren’t going to guarantee a sale for all drivers, it shows that Xpeng cares about the minutiae that can improve the overall experience of the vehicles.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that Chinese brands are already making their presence felt across the UK, and crucially, attracting the intrigue of drivers.
Drivers and passengers can make use of a mini-fridge, wireless charging and entertainment screens in the Xpeng X9
XPENG/GB NEWS
In January, brands like GWM, Jaecoo, Omoda and Skywell collectively sold 1,370 vehicles across the UK, while BYD, the world’s biggest manufacturer of electric vehicles, sold 1,614 cars.
This was a huge start to the year for BYD, which saw a 550 per cent jump in sales compared to last January and enough new registrations to capture 1.16 per cent of the market share.
However, its biggest achievement was arguably outselling Elon Musk’s Tesla which sold just 1,458 vehicles, firmly cementing BYD and other Chinese brands as major players in the UK automotive market.
Next year, these figures could be even more stark, with Xpeng and other manufacturers from Asia taking a large share of the market as drivers move towards cheaper, more technologically advanced zero emission vehicles.
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The Xpeng eVTOL X2 flying car
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The P7+ also gives occupants an enjoyable experience with comfortable seats and an emphasis on AI. While many Britons may remain hesitant to use AI in their vehicles, many may have questioned whether Amazon Alexa devices would take off and look where we are now.
It is thought that the X9 MPV and the G9 will join Xpeng’s UK line-up in the coming years as it works to develop its offering of premium EVs by 2028.
The launch event couldn’t be spoken about without mentioning the eVTOL X2 flying car. It has been developed by Xpeng AEROHT, which is Asia’s largest eVTOL company. It features red switches on the roof to make the two occupants feel like they’re Goose and Maverick in Top Gun..
Xpeng has made major strides with its vehicles in a very short space of time, and with 620,000 electric vehicle sales around the world, it’s likely to become a household name in the UK within just a few years.