The Xpeng G9 is a new premium electric SUV that's set to rival cars from the likes of Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla in a competitive class.
You might not have heard of Xpeng before, but you’ve doubtless heard of a firm like Xpeng – an ambitious Chinese EV start-up founded by a tech entrepreneur, backed by millions in venture capital investment, aiming to differentiate itself through software and technology and having a bold plan to rapidly expand into Europe.
Beyond a name that earns a decent Scrabble score and fills an X-shaped hole in the A-Z of car brands, can Xpeng succeed? Well, on the basis of our first taste of the P7 saloon and the G9, its new flagship SUV and first model designed from the start with global markets in mind, it certainly has the products to do so.
Xpeng (it's named for company boss He Xiaopeng, in case you were wondering) was founded in 2014 and began car production in China in late 2018. The G9 is its fourth model – although it has already since revealed the G6 SUV, which sits on a more developed, newer platform.