Chinese manufacturer Xpeng has started production of the electric SUV. A model that could well be the savior of a company in great difficulty.
Fifth model and third SUV from Xpeng, the G6 was presented at the Shanghai Motor Show. It is positioned in the heart of the Chinese market, and its target is the Tesla Model Y. This D-segment SUV thus models its characteristics on its American rival. But it should be displayed at more attractive prices. It is indeed expected between 200,000 and 300,000 RMB (26,000 and 40,000 €). A very attractive price in the context of a particularly aggressive price war in China.
A situation that seriously weakens the small manufacturer. In the first quarter of 2023, it saw its sales collapse. They fell from 34,561 vehicles in 2022 to only 18,230 in 2023. Turnover thus fell by 45.9% to 4 billion yuan (527 million euros). Xpeng therefore widened its losses: 2.34 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2023 (308 million euros) against 1.7 billion (224 million euros) over the same period in 2022.
The start of production of the G6, based on the new SEPA 2.0 platform, therefore looks like a rescue operation. The survival of the manufacturer may directly depend on the success of this vehicle. Xpeng has pulled out all the stops here: platform with front and rear structures made of die-casting like at Tesla, 800-volt structural battery, fast charge (3C), Cx of 0.248, plus its latest developments in driving semi-autonomous.
In theory, this Xpeng G6 should arrive in Europe in 2024. It will also be a key element in the establishment of the Chinese brand after the launch of the larger G9 and P7.
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