Another week and another new brand with a moniker that sounds like a new mobile phone.
Cynics suggest that electric vehicles (EVs) are turning cars into commodity white goods, purchased with as much passion as one would when selecting a tumble dryer. There is a grain of truth in this, but to consider the G6 in that context would be a serious mistake.
Firstly, Xpeng’s name has a meaning. It is named after one of its co-founders, He Xiaopeng, who has been compared – often by friendly Chinese media – to Elon Musk. Admittedly, that was before his White House escapades.
Xpeng has pretensions of becoming the next Tesla. While that may have seemed far-fetched a few months ago, Musk’s increasingly divisive image may allow Xpeng to attract some disgruntled Tesla owners, particularly in the larger European markets.
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Park the politics, and it’s easy to see why Xpeng’s G6 may lure Tesla Model Y owners to the Chinese brand. For a start, the car is simply better looking than the Model Y and most of the myriad crossover-sized all-electric cars available. One passerby at Dublin Airport even compared it to the Porsche Macan – and we can see why.
The G6 looks sleek and stylish. What went awry with European car design that led to the Chinese delivering elegant coupe crossovers while European brands churn out overworked, boxy cars clad with false grilles, often in cheap plastic?
Inside, it follows the standard EV playbook: big touchscreen, minimal physical buttons, and decent leg space atop a big battery with a wheel at each corner.
The touchscreen displays are as slick and confusingly compiled as we’ve come to expect. Changing the temperature is relatively simple, but controlling the heated seat or adjusting the fans requires tapping on three dots that are simply not easy to target while also keeping an eye on the road.
Forget about trying anything more complex. As with many cars these days, there is a multitude of software options and capabilities that most motorists will never engage with – just like the dozens of apps on your phone that you never open.
It’s a clean, airy cabin, but it has all the character and charm of a dentist’s waiting room.
Xpeng has made a big deal of its “Xpilot” active safety systems, which include five high-definition millimetre-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic wave radars, and 12 cameras.
When it comes to driving, the G6 has so many sensors and alerts that bleep and ping, you quickly realise it would prefer if you weren’t interfering. The driver is meant to sit down, stare out the window, and steer. Obedience is rewarded with silence.
The long-range version we tested pushes the price up to just under €50,000, but that also increases the official WLTP range from 435km in the standard 66kWh version to 570km thanks to its 87.5kWh battery pack.
Staying with battery packs, the G6 can handle serious fast charging, thanks to its 800V architecture. Plugged into an Ionity charging station, you can watch the mileage range increase like fuel in a regular car’s tank. We can attest that this car really can go from just over 10 per cent charge to more than 80 per cent (delivering a claimed range of more than 400km) in under 30 minutes.
In Ireland, the G6 will only be available with rear-wheel drive from a single electric motor, with two outputs. The Standard Range model’s motor delivers up to 258hp, while the Long Range version manages 286hp.
The Xpeng is relatively quick on the road – well, as quick as all the other mid-sized EV crossovers on the market right now. The nice thing about the G6 is that power is delivered smoothly, avoiding the jerky, all-or-nothing feel that has many EV passengers reaching for a sick bag after 100km.
Smooth power delivery meant we completed several rural road drives without having to use the brakes at all, instead simply managing speed through throttle control.
As for ride quality, the price paid for delivering a sense of steering control and keeping the heavy battery from bouncing along bumpy roads is a relatively firm suspension. This results in a stiffer ride than you might expect if you are not used to larger EVs. The upside comes in the bends, where the G6 holds its line well.
In terms of consumption, like the battery charging speed, range figures align with promises, delivering 17-19kWh/100km.
But the most tempting feature of the Xpeng G6 will be the price. Starting at €42,000, it’s a very attractive proposition. As mentioned, the long-range version comes in just under €50,000, which gives it an edge over Model Y Irish pricing.
Tesla is, admittedly, a far more established brand but the Xpeng is simply better looking. And after recently driving a Model Y, it reminded me why Tesla was initially so sought after – but also how failing for years to fully refresh its models has let rivals, even old-school mainstream brands, overtake it.
The G6 makes you wonder why some premium German rivals believe they can charge €20,000 more for a car that delivers a similar range and arguably less appealing styling.
To list all its rivals would take too long, but suffice it to say that it faces competition from Volkswagen Group variants of the ID.4, siblings from Korea in the form of Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, and the Franco-Japanese pairing of the Renault Scenic and Nissan Ariya.
The problem for Xpeng is that it lacks the character of rival brands. You can see how talk of firmware and cloud integrations fits more naturally with Xpeng than conversations about steering dynamics and throttle response.
Sales will certainly be helped by the fact that its Irish distribution is handled by Motor Distributors Ltd (MDL), which already manages Irish operations for another Chinese brand, BYD.
So far, MDL’s choice of brands from China’s portfolio has been impressive. The long-time distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Ireland seemingly has a sharp eye for talent. It also has a powerful contact book of customers.
And the good news is that Xpeng’s boss, He Xiaopeng, has a realistic view of the challenges. In an interview last November, he described the car industry as “a marathon, not a sprint.” He also said he doesn’t think most Chinese carmakers will survive the next decade.
“From 300 start-ups, only 100 survived. Today, there are fewer than 50 companies that still exist, and only 40 of them are actually selling cars every year,” he told the Straits Times in an interview.
“I personally think that there will only be seven major car companies that will exist in the coming 10 years.”
He did not specify which Chinese carmakers these might be, but believes Xpeng will be one of them.
Lowdown: Xpeng G6
Power: 210kW (282hp) electric motor powering the rear wheels and delivering 440Nm of torque, powered by an 87.5kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery.
0-100 km/h: 6.7 seconds
Range (WLTP): 570km
Consumption: 17.5kWh/100km
Price: €49,440 as tested (starts at €42,000)
Our rating: 3/5
Our verdict: Smart styling and competitive pricing overcome a bland cabin and unremarkable driving dynamics.
