VW & Xpeng present the ID. UNYX 08

According to CN EV Post, the electric SUV is the first vehicle developed jointly as part of the partnership between VW and Xpeng. The ID. UNYX 07, unveiled in mid-October, was already a first: it is the first vehicle based on an electric platform developed for China, but a VW platform.

This is likely to be different with the ID. UNYX 08: When the VW-Xpeng partnership was announced in 2023, there was also talk of the German carmaker using Xpeng’s G9 platform for its own Chinese models. TheCN EV Post report suggests that the ID. UNYX 08 is supposed to be the first VW on the G9 platform, but this has not been confirmed.

The November edition of the MIIT vehicle catalogue announces the ID. UNYX 08, the third model from the VW sub-brand. Inclusion in the vehicle catalogue is usually one of the final steps before sales begin, which is therefore likely to start in early 2026 at the latest. According to the information provided there, the 08 is a full five metres long, 1.95 metres wide and 1.69 metres high, with a wheelbase of 3.03 metres. This makes the ID. UNYX 08 not only the largest model in the sub-brand (the ID. UNYX 06 is a compact SUV and the ID. UNYX 07 sedan is 4.85 metres long), but also slightly larger than the current Xpeng G9 (4.89 metres, 1.94 metres, 1.67 metres and 2.99 metres wheelbase).

While a few centimetres difference in the external dimensions can easily be explained by the different bodywork, the same cannot be said for the wheelbase – here, there does indeed appear to be a technical change compared to the Xpeng G9, if it is indeed its platform. However, the drive power of the single-motor rear-wheel drive version of the ID. UNYX 08 corresponds to the 230 kW of the G9. The all-wheel-drive version has an additional electric motor on the front axle, which, according to the MIIT catalogue, has an output of 140 kW – the G9 officially has 175 kW. VW Anhui has registered a total of three variants, two with one motor and one all-wheel-drive version, with an unladen weight between 2.19 and 2.36 tonnes.

The catalogue must also specify the origin of the battery, but not its energy content. According to this, the vehicle is equipped with an LFP battery from CATL. Xpeng has also switched to a pure LFP offering in the latest facelift of the G9, whereas the long-range variant previously had an NMC battery installed. As ID. UNYX additionally announced via its Weibo account that the 08 is expected to support 800-volt fast charging and have a CLTC range of up to 700 kilometres. The exact charging power is not specified, but since the aforementioned facelift, the Xpeng G9 can charge at up to 525 kW.

VW Anhui is breaking new ground with this model, not only in terms of technology, but also in terms of design: the ID. UNYX (later renamed ID. UNYX 06), unveiled in 2024, is essentially a Cupra Tavascan with a VW logo and minimal modifications, but is technically based on the MEB. As mentioned, the ID. UNYX 07 uses different technology, but picks up on the design language of the 06. The new 08, on the other hand, has extremely narrow LED lights at the front and rear that extend almost to the brand logo in the centre. As with many new cars, the main headlights are integrated slightly deeper into the bumper. One could argue that VW Anhui is thus borrowing a little from the Xpeng design, which relies on continuous light strips. However, the Chinese VW company presented the ID. EVO concept car at Auto China in April 2025. The ID. UNYX 08 is visually the production version of this concept car.

Exactly when and at what prices the ID. UNYX 08 will go on sale in China is not yet known. However, following its publication in the November edition of the vehicle catalogue, it should only be a matter of weeks or a few months. This would put the project on schedule: according to earlier information, the first model from the Xpeng collaboration was supposed to be launched in 2026.

cnevpost.com, carnewschina.com

This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.