Equipped with the same large sofa as Nissan models? The first extended-range vehicle of XPeng is exposed. New car - making forces are becoming more and more aggressive.
The strong sales of MONA M03 and P7+ have made XPeng Motors one of the new - energy vehicle startups with the most impressive sales data. However, XPeng has bigger ambitions than just focusing on pure - electric vehicles; it aspires to become the next "Li Auto and Wenjie".
Foreign media "CarNewsChina" reported that the spy photos of XPeng's first extended - range electric vehicle (EREV), the G01, have been officially exposed. It is expected that XPeng's second factory will start mass - producing the G01 in the fourth quarter of this year, and the vehicle will be launched as early as the beginning of next year.
Image source: CarNewsChina
Calculating carefully, from the time XPeng proposed the "Kunpeng Super Electric System" to the launch of the G01 at the beginning of next year, it's less than a year and a half.
Extended - range hybrid technology is already very common and has even become the key to boosting sales for some automakers. However, for an automaker that has adhered to pure - electric technology for over five years to suddenly choose to join the extended - range camp indicates a change in the brand's development concept: Extended - range technology is not a "transitional technology" but has become a third new - energy power solution comparable to plug - in hybrids and pure - electric vehicles.
He Xiaopeng, the founder of XPeng Motors, believes that almost every new - energy startup is making extended - range vehicles. It doesn't make sense for XPeng to just make an ordinary one. There are many automakers challenging the market position of certain popular models, but a large number of new vehicles reach their peak sales right after launch and then lose momentum. Does XPeng, which has no experience in the extended - range vehicle market, really not fear that this project might fail?
Nissan's signature "big sofa" + solid range = the secret to best - selling success?
The design of the XPeng G01 is inspired by the XPeng G9. It has a length of 5.1 meters, a wheelbase of 3 meters, and a "three - row, six - seat" layout, with size parameters typical of a mid - to large - sized SUV. However, it is developed on a newly built "G platform", so the XPeng G01 is not a conversion of the G9 from an electric vehicle to a gasoline - powered one.
CarNewsChina revealed that this is an SUV with a possible price range between 250,000 and 300,000 yuan. In this way, the XPeng G01 will target the Li Auto L series and the Wenjie M series.
Interestingly, CarNewsChina reported that with these size parameters, the XPeng G01 is equipped with seats jointly developed with Nissan's "Zero - Gravity" team, as well as features such as a refrigerator, rear - seat screens, and a more quiet extended - range generator, enhancing its comfort advantage.
Image source: CarNewsChina
So far, Dianchetong has not found any news about a cooperation between XPeng Motors and Nissan. However, in late December last year, XP - Nick, the product manager of XPeng's P/G series, said on a social platform that the seat team does include members from an automaker known for its comfortable seats (specifically referring to Nissan). Dianchetong has experienced the seats of the XPeng P7+ and found that their support and wrapping are just right, especially the support for the waist.
Although the news about "XPeng's joint development with Nissan's 'Zero - Gravity' team" is questionable, the seats of the XPeng G01 are unlikely to be of poor quality.
Combined with the information revealed at last year's "XPeng AI Technology Day", range capability is very likely to be another selling point of the XPeng G01.
Officially, XPeng's future extended - range vehicles can have a pure - electric range of 430 kilometers, and the combined range with a full tank of fuel and a full charge can exceed 1,400 kilometers at most. How good is this range capability? The following table can provide a reference.
Table compiled by Dianchetong
It has to be said that XPeng's combined range and pure - electric range are among the top in the same - class extended - range hybrid vehicles. Even for the Xiaoyao Super Extended - Range Battery released by CATL, the official only claims a pure - electric range of over 400 kilometers.
However, Dianchetong must point out that these two data do not represent the XPeng G01 but rather the limit capabilities of XPeng's Kunpeng Super Electric System. For a mid - to large - sized SUV with a curb weight of around two tons, it's still uncertain whether the XPeng G01 can achieve such range capabilities.
Moreover, with the benchmark product Li Auto L8 on the market, the range capability of the XPeng G01 must reach this level to be convincing in the market.
Image source: XPeng Motors official
To be fair, XPeng Motors entered the extended - range vehicle market a bit late and may need to invest a lot of resources in optimizing the extended - range technology in the early stage. However, XPeng still has its own advantages: XPeng can integrate AI into various aspects of the vehicle. It has already achieved solid range performance in its current pure - electric vehicles, and it is entirely possible to reduce the fuel consumption of the extended - range system through AI.
New - energy startups are no longer "pure". Is XPeng determined to succeed in the extended - range market?
Combined with the news at the beginning of this year, in addition to the XPeng G01, XPeng has planned at least four other extended - range vehicles. Dianchetong predicts that after the extended - range system is successfully implemented in the G01, extended - range versions of other existing models will be launched soon.
It's not just XPeng. Automakers such as Xiaomi and Zeekr, which have been deeply involved in the pure - electric vehicle market and previously scoffed at extended - range technology, have also started to embrace extended - range hybrid vehicles.
Image source: Weibo @SugarDesign
Xiaomi's extended - range SUV also follows the luxury family - use route. Zeekr's flagship large - sized SUV, the Zeekr 9X, will adopt super hybrid technology, officially starting the layout of both pure - electric and extended - range technology routes.
Volkswagen and BMW have officially announced their entry into the extended - range hybrid market. Former CEO of Volkswagen Group China, Stephan Wöllenstein, once said that extended - range technology was "the worst, non - environmentally friendly and nonsense solution".
It can be found that the first extended - range SUVs of these automakers have similar positioning to the Li Auto L series and the Wenjie M series. It seems that everyone wants a share of the market dominated by Li Auto and Wenjie.
However, Dianchetong noticed that other automakers are only launching one family - oriented extended - range SUV, while XPeng has quickly confirmed an "army of vehicles" strategy for extended - range hybrids.
Digging deeper, Dianchetong believes that at least three real - world factors have influenced XPeng's product decisions.
First, from the overall automotive market environment, there has been a significant change in the sales structure of the Chinese new - energy vehicle market. According to data released by the China Passenger Car Association, a total of 10.899 million new - energy vehicles were retailed in 2024, a year - on - year increase of 40.7%. Among them, plug - in hybrid (including extended - range) vehicles showed a cumulative year - on - year increase of over 170% in the price ranges below 100,000 yuan and between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan, while the sales growth of pure - electric vehicles was far lower than that of plug - in hybrids (including extended - range).
Image source: China Passenger Car Association
From the perspective of fundamental needs, automakers such as Li Auto, Wenjie, and Leapmotor have seen rapid sales growth in the 200,000 - 300,000 yuan price market. Range anxiety and charging convenience are still the core pain points for users in lower - tier cities. Only the dual - charging method of being able to refuel and charge can give them a sense of security.
So why does XPeng choose extended - range technology instead of plug - in hybrid technology? Naturally, it's because the threshold for extended - range technology is lower.
In essence, an extended - range hybrid vehicle is still a pure - electric vehicle, but it has an additional fuel - burning generator compared to an ordinary pure - electric vehicle, which can generate electricity for the drive motor when the battery is low.
However, the structure of plug - in hybrid technology is more complex. It requires the drive motor and the engine to work together and can output power in multiple ways, such as pure - electric, extended - range hybrid, pure - gasoline, and gasoline - electric hybrid. The R & D cycle and investment cost are much higher than those of extended - range hybrid technology.
Moreover, XPeng has already achieved results in areas such as 800V high - voltage architecture, 5C super - charging, and AI power management. Currently, it only needs to do a good job in energy consumption management and the quietness of the extended - range generator to start mass - production, which takes less time and requires lower costs.
Image source: XPeng Motors official
Of course, the reason why XPeng plans to implement the "army of vehicles" strategy in the extended - range hybrid field is not just to follow the trend but more for survival.
He Xiaopeng once said that only 5 - 7 new - energy automakers will survive in the entire automotive market in the next 10 years. In the past few years, XPeng has been completely focused on the pure - electric route, missing the market dividends brought by extended - range hybrids and being overtaken by companies such as Li Auto and Hongmeng Zhixing. After experiencing a slowdown in sales from 2023 to 2024, XPeng Motors has realized that relying solely on pure - electric vehicles has significant limitations and that it needs to complement the hybrid vehicle market.
More importantly, XPeng Motors has launched an overseas expansion strategy. Overseas markets such as the EU, the Middle East, and North Africa are more favorable to hybrid vehicles in terms of policies, and there is less concern about low sales due to insufficient charging infrastructure.
According to the plan, XPeng will also launch a new SUV, the XPeng G7, this year. However, there are no other brand - new models scheduled for launch, and most of the efforts will be focused on upgrading and optimizing the existing models.
In Dianchetong's view, this is normal. After all, XPeng Motors will launch multiple extended - range hybrid models next year, and it needs more time to fully leverage the advantages of the "army of vehicles" strategy.
The extended - range vehicle war escalates. Who can change the "2+N" market pattern?
New - energy startups that are entering the extended - range market will probably not launch their first extended - range products until 2026. Therefore, it's highly likely that Li Auto and Wenjie will continue to lead the extended - range vehicle market this year, followed by new - energy brands such as Leapmotor, Avita, and Deepal.
So, after automotive brands such as XPeng, Xiaomi, and Zeekr launch their first extended - range vehicles, will they change the "2+N" market pattern? Dianchetong believes it's difficult but not impossible.
The high difficulty lies in the fact that Li Auto and Wenjie have already established a large market scale. The economies of scale have improved their bargaining power in the supply chain and channel coverage, which is also the key reason why they can achieve brand profitability through family - oriented extended - range SUVs. It's already difficult for late - comers to reach this scale, and they also need to consider issues such as profit per vehicle and cash flow.
Image source: Li Auto official
Firstly, Li Auto and Wenjie firmly occupy the 250,000 - 500,000 yuan price market, while the extended - range vehicle market below 200,000 yuan is still a blue ocean. This is an opportunity for late - comers such as XPeng, Xiaomi, and Zeekr, and XPeng hopes to gain a differential advantage through the "army of vehicles" strategy.
Secondly, the second half of the automotive industry is about intelligence. On the premise of meeting the requirements of "ref