Xpeng launches the G6 and G9 with improved charging performance
Xpeng has made changes to its electric SUVs in several areas. For example, the manufacturer reduced the choice of motors from six to three variants per model. Technically, both 2025 models now come with battery packs that should enable a charging rate of 5C (instead of 3C). At the same time, Xpeng lowered the starting price: The G6 will be a good eleven per cent cheaper in China, and the G9 five per cent cheaper.
The Xpeng G6 was first introduced in China in June 2023 and competes in the electric mid-size SUV segment. It measures 4.76 x 1.92 x 1.65 metres with a wheelbase of 2.89 metres and is based on Xpeng’s 800-volt platform. Instead of six variants, Xpeng only offers three versions of the new G6 model year. All of them are rear-wheel drives with 218 kW and 450 Nm of torque, but they come with either a 68.5 or an 80.8 kWh battery pack for 625 or 725 km according to the Chinese test cycle. By comparison, the current G6 has a 66 kWh LFP battery pack or an 87.5 kWh NMC battery on board with CLTC ranges between 580 and 755 kilometres.
So while the range has not changed significantly, the new vehicles are supposed to score points with better charging performance. The Chinese portal CN EV Post states that Xpeng installed 5C batteries in the new model year. The ‘C’ is an indicator of the ratio of battery size to charging power. With 1C, an 80 kWh battery can be charged with a maximum of 80 kW. At 5C, the same battery can theoretically be charged with five times the charging power – i.e. up to 400 kW. The portal cites the manufacturer saying that the “updated G6 can charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 12 minutes.” Currently, the G6 needs 20 minutes to reach the same SoC – at least on paper.
At the same time, the base price has been reduced by around 11.5 per cent compared to the previous version. The future G6 will cost between 176,800 and 198,800 yuan (around 22,300 to 25,200 euros), previously it was between 199,900 and 276,900 yuan (around 25,380 to 35,150 euros), although this price range also includes all-wheel drive models.
As Xpeng announced on Weibo shortly after the market launch of the new model year, it received “more than 5,000 firm orders in the first seven minutes of availability.”
Xpeng has also given its larger flagship SUV, the G9, a makeover. The 4.89-metre-long electric car also features Xpeng’s 800-volt architecture and, as before, has a wheelbase of three metres. Here, too, the manufacturer will offer only three versions instead of six – two rear-wheel drives and one all-wheel drive with 258 kW or 423 kW of power and 465 Nm or 695 Nm of torque.
According to CN EV Post, the G9 will also receive new 5C battery packs, which will offer 79 or 93.1 kWh of energy and enable ranges of 625 km, 680 km or 725 km. And here, too, charging time should improve from 20 to 12 minutes (10 to 80% SoC) thanks to the new battery technology. Xpeng now sells the G9 in China for 248,800 to 278,800 yuan (around 31,590 to 35,400 euros). The current price is 263,900 to 359,900 yuan (around 33,500 to 45,700 euros).
The fact that Xpeng, like the P7+ sedan, does without a LiDAR system and that the intelligent driving system switches to a solution that works purely with visual sources contributes to the price reduction, especially for the more expensive equipment levels. The ‘Turing AI Smart Driving System’ comes standard in the new model year G6 and G9.
For Xpeng, both SUVs are important models in its range. According to CN EV Post, 54,463 G6s were delivered last year, accounting for 29 per cent of all Xpeng deliveries. The G9 sold 26,954 units, accounting for 14 per cent of Xpeng’s sales. It is not yet known whether and when the revised models will also come to Europe.
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