XPeng Motors launches $29k G6 Coupe SUV in China, giving the Tesla Model Y a run for its money

Less than a month after rolling its first new coupe SUVs off its assembly lines in China, XPeng Motors has officially launched its latest model – the G6. Priced below $30,000, XPeng sees the G6 as a serious competitor to the Tesla Model Y and plenty of other EVs in China. The automaker has a lot riding on this one as it looks to bolster less-than-stellar sales in its native country as of late.

The rise of the G6 begins at the core of the new SUV with XPeng Motors’ SEPA 2.0 modular EV architecture. The next-generation, 800 V Silicon Carbide (SiC) platform is the blueprint for XPeng’s lineup of EVs for the foreseeable future – adaptable to operate within wheelbases ranging from 1,800 mm (70.9 inches) to 3,200 mm (126 inches) and scalable to support nearly any vehicle type, whether its a coupe, sedan, hatchback, wagon, SUV, multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), or even a pickup.

The platform made its official debut beneath the G6 coupe SUV this past April, along with impressive spec promises from its makers, including 469 miles of range and fast charging in as little as 10 minutes. A month later, we learned that G6 production was already underway in China, hinting that deliveries were imminent.

By mid-June, XPeng Motors began taking pre-orders for its next-gen SUV following news it would arrive priced between RMB 200,000-300,000 ($28,500-$42,650). This resulted in over 25,000 pre-orders in the first 72 hours – encouraging consumer interest for an automaker still looking to find its footing in an extremely saturated Chinese EV market. What’s even better, pricing ended up lower than originally promised – more on that below.

Today, XPeng Motors chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng shared that the G6 had over 35,000 pre-orders as of June 28. The automaker officially launched its new SUV in China today, sharing details and pricing of five different trims reservation holders may see delivered as early as July.

XPeng’s G6 SUV bests Tesla Model Y on price and tech

XPeng Motors hosted a launch event in China earlier today, marking the launch of the G6 SUV before initial deliveries begin next month. As we’ve covered leading up to today’s news, this EV features some of the most innovative tech in the industry and hits the market as XPeng’s golden goose. Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng spoke:

XPeng G6 embodies our unwavering commitment to technology innovation and reaffirms our mission to lead the mobility transformation. We believe that our forward-looking technology roadmap and vision for making innovative technology accessible to the mass market firmly position XPeng as an industry trendsetter and leader in customer satisfaction.

The G6 arrives with XPeng’s full-scenario ADAS XNGP – a system the automaker continues to tout as “the most advanced and capable in China.” The ADAS is enabled by XPeng’s BEV+Transformer-based deep visual neural network, XNet – another first for China, according to the company. The XPeng SUV comes equipped with 31 smart sensors, including two LiDARs on its front, and a total computing power of up to 508 TOPS, thanks to two NVIDIA DRIVE Orin-X chips.

With this technology in place, XPeng says the G6 has already achieved the ultimate form of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) before fully-autonomous driving has truly been realized, equipped to handle such functions if and when they do ever come to fruition (and certification) in the industry.

Other G6 features include the SUV’s front and rear integrated aluminum die-casted body, another first for China claimed by XPeng. This design reduces weight and offers a body rigidity of up to 83% greater than traditional designs. The lower weight also enables the G6 to deliver up to 755 km (469 miles) of range (that’s CLTC, however). As promised, the SUV’s 800 V SiC platform and 3C battery allow for 300 km (186 miles) of range gathered in 10 minutes on an XPeng S3/S4 DC fast charger.

The SUV’s interior features XPeng’s latest operating system – Xmart OS 4.0, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and displayed on a 15-inch touchscreen (seen below). It offers “GPT-like” human-machine interaction using XPeng’s full-scenario voice assistant 2.0.

With the launch, XPeng Motors is selling five separate trims of the G6, including two “Pro” versions and three “Max.” Here’s how they break down.

As you can see, XPeng has really hit a sweet spot in pricing, as even its top-tier trim of the G6 SUV converts to well under $40,000. For comparison, the Tesla Model Y starts at RMB 263,900 ($36,385) and goes as high as RMB 363,900 ($50,175) for the performance edition.

To that point, XPeng’s chairman said today that the company expects the G6 to become the top-selling electric SUV in China, priced at around RMB 250,000, within two months. Since Tesla’s cheapest Model Y is priced well above that cutoff, XPeng may not be targeting the Model Y directly after all but is instead undercutting the American automaker by delivering more for less.

We will see how this strategy pays off for XPeng Motors as official sales begin to solidify and deliveries begin in China. It’s important to note that the G6 was originally designed with both Chinese and European five-star safety standards in mind, and the automaker relayed that the EU can expect to see SUV deliveries next year.

We’re working on a trip to China to get behind the wheel of this one, so when that happens, we will be sure to report back. In the meantime, here’s some video footage of the XPeng G6 coupe SUV enduring winter testing.