Xpeng, one of the best known EV brands in China has now opened pre-orders for its first electric car model that it will bring to Australia, the sleek G6 electric SUV, although there is a catch.
The pre-orders are now being taken with a $1000 fully refundable deposit on two variants of the G6, including a standard and a long-range variant. According to the local distributor True EV, the deposit is there for “ensuring priority access to the first deliveries expected in Q4 of this year.”
The catch here is that no price has been released and won’t be released until September. Generally the pricing of a vehicle is known when deposits are taken on a car, although this was not the case with the first release of the Tesla Model 3.
Given the size of the G6 SUV, it’s likely to have a starting price under Australia’s best-selling EV the Tesla Model Y SUV.
In Hong Kong which will also be receiving right-hand-drive G6, it’s currently undercutting the Model Y which starts in that market at under $A57,000.
Xpeng says the vehicles will be able to be picked up from designated delivery centres in Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne, with home delivery available free of charge for most locations.
“It’s been wonderful to see the anticipation for the Xpeng G6 locally and we’re excited our customers can now officially start pre-ordering their cars for a Q4 delivery,” says Jason Clarke, the CEO of its local distributor TrueEV. “The G6’s range and charging efficiency is one of a kind, and we can’t wait to bring them to Australia later this year.”
Looking into the two variants on offer, these include the G6 Standard and Long Range. Both are being offered with a rear-wheel-drive powertrain that is based on an 800V architecture which allows for faster charging.
Official charging specs are currently not known for the local configuration but its expected to deliver DC fast-charging speeds of up to 215 kW.
The Standard model offering includes a 66 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery with a range of up to 435 km on a single charge.
This variant can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 6.9 seconds thanks to its 190 kW motor that delivers up to 440 Nm of torque.
There is also a long-range model which Xpeng calls just “Long” with a larger 87.5 kWh battery offering a range of up to 570 km.
The online configurator shows that the Xpeng G6 will come in multiple colours including silver, white, grey, black and the model’s iconic orange.
EV enthusiasts will welcome the news of the G6 configurator as it opens more attractive EV options in the market. It comes only a fortnight after Xpeng’s local website posted the configurator for the first time and less than 24 hours after it was online, it was taken down.
As the competition continues to grow in the local EV market and slightly more established brands like BYD have lowered prices on new 2024 build models, Xpeng’s pricing of the G6 will be a key driver behind how well the brand launches in the local market.
Xpeng G6 Key Specs from Australian configurator
XPENG G6 Standard Variant
- 800V XPower electric drive system
- Max power output 190 kW
- Max torque 440 Nm
- 435 km WLTP driving range
- Rear wheel drive
XPENG G6 Long Variant
- 800V XPower electric drive system
- Max power output 210 kW
- Max torque 440 Nm
- 570 km WLTP driving range
- Rear wheel drive
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.