Last year, Xpeng launched in Australia with its sleek, tech-driven G6 SUV. At the same time, the brand has been teasing its luxury people mover (MPV) at motor shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
Now the brand has just updated the Australian-bound X9 MPV in China and officially launched it for international markets in Hong Kong this week, with fast-charging times as quick as 12 minutes.
The new X9 will be offered in four variants, starting from $A77,200 and going up to $A90,100 for the top spec 7-seater, packed with captains chairs and luxury for all passengers.
The new Xpeng X9 is based on the company’s latest 800-volt architecture that allows for faster charging and a 10-80% charging time of under 12 minutes.
The entry-level mode model has a 94.8 kWh battery with a CLTC range of up to 650 km on a single charge. That’s likely to be closer to 580 km on the WLTP cycle.
This variant can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 7.7 seconds, thanks to its 235 kW front-mounted motor that delivers up to 450 Nm of torque.
There are also long-range all-wheel-drive variants with a larger 105 kWh battery offering a CLTC range of up to 740 km. For these, charging times of 10-80% in 20 minutes are achievable.
These variants also pack an additional rear motor which helps reduce the 0-100 km/h sprint to 5.7 seconds.
At the launch, the company’s CEO and chairman, He Xiaopeng, highlighted the many changes that this updated tech-driven model has which will ensure the success of this model in not only China, where it’s already the best-selling electric people mover in 2024, but international right-hand-drive markets as well.
The new X9 features captains chairs in the second row, along with a passageway to get to the third row. All seats feature massage and other luxuries to make drivers and passengers feel special.
The second also has a large TV screen that folds down to provide entertainment for the rear passengers on the go, and it even includes popular streaming services in Australia, such as YouTube and Spotify.
Moving onto the third row, there is plenty of space for rear passengers, and the boot has a one-button fold-down for the entire third row, allowing owners to have all that boot space when driving in four-seater mode.
Ride and comfort wise, Xiaopeng reinforced the use of AI in predicting road surfaces, which work in conjunction with a dual-chamber air-suspension system to offer comfort levels found in very few cars on the market.
The company launched in multiple right-hand-drive markets in 2024 with its sleek SUV, the G6.
Now, to increase the models available in international markets, the next generation of cars that sit on the company’s SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) version 2.0 platform architecture are engineered to work well in China and markets like Australia.
Xpeng launched its G6 in December 2024 at its flagship Sydney airport showroom. This model is offered in two variants, starting with the standard range starting from $54,800 before on-road costs. There is also a long-range variant, which starts at $59,800.
Having already sent right-hand-drive X9 MPVs to big people mover markets like Thailand and Hong Kong earlier this year, it’s gearing up to launch this model in Australia later this year.
With many customers looking for EVs in segments with few options, the X9 might be the people mover to get some to consider an MPV over a larger 7-seater electric car.
As more and more people consider EVs from newer brands like Xpeng in Australia, the timing for the announcement of another unique offering from the tech and AI-driven brand will likely create hype around another untapped segment, fully electric MPVs. That could help more local drivers to consider a slightly different type of 7-seater in 2025 – all powered by the latest tech and AI.
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.