The new G9 features the core capabilities of Xpeng's latest SEPA architecture and has a starting price that is RMB 46,000 lower than the old model.
(Image credit: Xpeng)
Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) today launched a revamped version of its flagship SUV, featuring lower prices, simpler options, and hopes to make up for the regrets of the model's launch a year ago.
Xpeng is offering five versions of the new G9 with a starting price of RMB 263,900 ($36,190), RMB 46,000 lower than the RMB 309,900 starting price of the old model.
Deliveries of the new G9 will begin next week, and its production capacity will climb quickly, said He Xiaopeng, Xpeng's chairman and CEO, at today's launch event in Dunhuang, Gansu province in northwest China.
Xpeng's goal is for the G9 to become the No. 1 seller of all-electric SUVs priced in the RMB 250,000 to RMB 300,000 range, Mr. He said.
The Xpeng G9 was initially launched on September 21, 2022, with a starting price of RMB 309,900, which was seen as competitive.
However, the G9's confusing configuration at the start of its launch last year sparked many dissatisfaction and overshadowed its appeal.
Two days after the G9's launch, Xpeng overhauled its options to make it less difficult for customers to choose.
The older G9 includes eight versions after the tweak:
G9 570 Plus, starting at RMB 309,900.
G9 570 Pro, starting at RMB 329,900.
G9 570 Max, starting at RMB 349,900.
G9 702 Pro, starting at RMB 349,900.
G9 702 Max, starting at RMB 369,900.
G9 650 Performance Pro, starting at RMB 399,900.
G9 650 Performance Max, starting at RMB 419,900.
G9 650 Launch Commemorative Edition, starting at RMB 469,900.
The new G9 is offered in six versions, the same as Xpeng's G6 SUV launched on June 29, and also includes two Pro versions and three Max versions.
Here are the prices of the new G9:
New G9 570 Pro, starting at RMB 263,900.
New G9 702 Pro, starting at RMB 283,900
New G9 570 Max, starting at RMB 289,900.
New G9 702 Max, starting at RMB 309,900.
New G9 650 Max, starting at RMB 359,900.
This means that the starting price of the new G9 has actually been reduced by a much larger amount of RMB 66,000 compared to the previously available G9 570 Pro's starting price of RMB 329,900.
To avoid dissatisfaction among owners of the old G9, Xpeng announced today that it will offer customers who previously purchased the model a total of RMB 300 million in benefits, including warranty extension to 10 years, free internet traffic for life, and 50,000 Xpeng credits.
The G9 delivered a record 4,020 units in December 2022, contributing 35.6 percent of Xpeng's 11,292 deliveries for the month, data monitored by CnEVPost showed.
The model has seen a significant drop in deliveries this year, with deliveries around 1,000 units in every month except January, when 2,249 units were delivered, and 616 units in August.
On April 16, Xpeng unveiled a new architecture, called SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) 2.0, and the G6 is the first model based on it.
Models based on the platform feature a standard 3C fast-charging battery configuration that adds 130 kilometers of range in five minutes and can be charged even faster at its S4 superchargers, adding 200 kilometers of range in five minutes, Xpeng previously said.
The new G9 features the core capabilities of Xpeng's SEPA architecture as standard on the model, Mr. He said at today's launch.
"Xpeng is launching a new offensive with the G9, hoping to offer customers the strongest smart all-electric SUV in the RMB 300,000 class," Mr. He said today.
($1 = RMB 7.2929)
