Monthly Archive: May 2023

XPeng sees 1st G6 production vehicle off line

management previously said that the G6 will be officially launched and delivered by the end of the second quarter, with a price range of RMB 200,000 - 300,000.  |  XPeng US | XPeng HK

XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) has seen the first production vehicle of the G6 roll off the assembly line, as the new SUV gets closer to its official launch.

The development was revealed in a leaked image on Chinese social media of XPeng production line employees celebrating the moment, and XPeng has not released any official content about it.

On March 17, XPeng management said during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call that the G6 will be officially launched and delivered by the end of the second quarter, with a price range of 200,000 yuan ($28,450) to 300,000 yuan.

XPeng's monthly sales target for the G6 is two to three times that of the P7, the company's chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said in the call.

XPeng gave several previews of the model in early April and unveiled the SUV's exterior ahead of its official debut.

On April 16, the electric vehicle (EV) maker unveiled a new architecture, called SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) 2.0, at a technology conference in Shanghai, saying the G6 would be the first model built on it.

XPeng officially unveiled the G6 on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, saying that the G6 is the ultimate form of car before full autonomous driving is achieved.

The model is based on the 800 V high-voltage platform and can get a 300-kilometer range in as little as 10 minutes on a charge, XPeng said at the time. The company's other 800 V-based model is the flagship G9 SUV.

XPeng did not release specific specs or pricing information for the G6, which they expect to know at a future official launch event.

The company appears to be ramping up production preparations for the G6 so that it can deliver it quickly after its official launch, as its local counterparts have proven that strategy to be effective in China's competitive EV market.

XPeng sees the Model Y as the G6's main competitor. The vehicle is positioned as an all-electric midsize SUV with a length, width and height of 4,753 mm, 1,920 mm and 1,650 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,890 mm, a regulatory filing in March showed.

For comparison, the Tesla Model Y has a length, width and height of 4,750 mm, 1,921 mm, 1,624 mm and a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.

G6 will need to be successful for XPeng to be truly relevant again in the marketplace, Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team said in a research note sent to investors on May 17.

XPeng will report its unaudited first-quarter financial results on Wednesday, May 24, before the US markets open, when its earnings call is expected to provide more information on the model.

($1 = RMB 7.0295)

XPeng Q1 earnings preview: Counting down to G6

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BYD evaluating feasibility of building passenger car plant in Europe

said it is evaluating the feasibility of building a passenger car plant in Europe and is looking for a suitable location.  |  BYDDY.US | BYD HK

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY) said it is evaluating the feasibility of building a passenger car plant in Europe after a report earlier today generated widespread discussion.

The Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) giant wants to build a plant in Europe, and France is among the countries it's considering, with Spain and Germany also in the running, according to a report in French media outlet Les Echos today.

"Discussions with BYD are continuing," the report said, citing an unnamed French minister.

BYD is evaluating the feasibility of building a passenger car plant in Europe and is looking for a suitable location, the company said in a response shared with CnEVPost.

This is not the first time BYD has been reported to be looking to build a passenger car plant in Europe, as the NEV giant ramps up its efforts to expand in international markets.

Last December 7, Bloomberg cited BYD executive vice president Stella Li as saying that BYD was looking to build a passenger car plant in Europe.

"Yes, and maybe not only one, it can be two," Li said at the time, adding that the company was evaluating the best locations to support BYD's fast ramp-up.

In a March 12 interview with the Financial Times, BYD European president Michael Shu said the company was looking at both new sites and existing plants, with the first European plant likely to be located in Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Hungary.

A decision is likely this year, with the aim of producing its first vehicles as early as 2025, according to the report.

BYD established its first overseas branch in the Netherlands in 1998 to expand into the European market.

Its European branch has expanded its business from batteries to solar energy, energy storage and NEVs, with an operational footprint of more than 20 countries and 100 cities across Europe, according to information shared by the company at the end of September last year.

Notably, BYD had not previously promoted its passenger car business hard in Europe until September 28 last year, when it introduced three battery electric vehicles (BEVs) -- the Atto 3, Han, and Tang -- to the European market at an online launch event.

In April this year, BYD held a launch event in Barcelona, Spain, announcing that Dolphin and Seal will enter the European market in 2023.

The Dolphin will be available for pre-sale this summer, with deliveries in the fourth quarter, and the Seal will be available in Europe shortly thereafter, BYD said at the time.

The two models will be BYD's new batch of all-electric models in Europe, following the launch of the Han, Tang and ATTO 3 in Europe last year, and are the first BYD Ocean series models to be launched for the European market.

BYD sold 210,295 NEVs in April, up 98.31 percent year-on-year and up 1.55 percent from March.

In April, BYD sold 14,827 NEVs in overseas markets, up 11.38 percent from 13,312 units in March.

BYD Dolphin, Seal to be available in Europe this year

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Wuling cuts prices on its mini EVs by up to $1,850

Wuling said the move is in response to China's call to boost consumption of NEVs in rural areas.

(Image credit: SAIC-GM-Wuling)

SAIC-GM-Wuling is cutting the prices of several of its mini electric vehicles (EVs), after taking a page out of 's (NYSE: NIO) book 10 days ago to make these budget EVs more affordable.

The company today announced a price cut of up to 13,000 yuan ($1,850) for models in its Hongguang Mini EV family, saying the move is in response to China's call to boost consumption of NEVs in rural areas.

Last week, China released a policy to support NEV consumption in rural areas, which mentioned that automakers are encouraged to develop more economical models that target the characteristics of consumers in rural areas.

A table released by SAIC-GM-Wuling shows that an Air EV, originally priced at RMB 82,800, saw a price drop of RMB 13,000, or 15.70 percent, to RMB 69,800, the largest price cut for its Mini EV family.

The other three Air EVs have all seen their prices cut by RMB 10,000, with the latest prices at RMB 66,800, 65,800 and 57,800 respectively.

SAIC-GM-Wuling's better-known Mini EV series has four models all reduced in price by RMB 6,000, with the latest prices at RMB 63,800, RMB 61,800, RMB 51,800, and RMB 49,800 respectively.

SAIC-GM-Wuling is a joint venture between SAIC Group, General Motors and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile, headquartered in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwestern China.

It sells vehicles based on the GSEV (Global Small Electric Vehicle) architecture in China, including the Mini EV, KiWi EV, Nano EV and Air EV. In addition to these pure electric models, SAIC-GM-Wuling also sells fuel-powered SUVs, MPVs and vans.

The Air EV will be officially launched in China on December 12, 2022, with a price range of RMB 67,800-82,800.

The model is SAIC-GM-Wuling's first global model, which was first launched in Indonesia in August last year.

Prior to the price cut, SAIC-GM-Wuling took a page from NIO's book and allowed consumers to purchase the Hongguang Mini EV with a body only and lease the battery, although the model does not support simple battery replacement like NIO models.

The automaker offers this purchase option for five versions of the Hongguang Mini EV, with the lowest-priced version costing consumers an initial payment of just RMB 19,800 and a monthly battery lease of RMB 198 for the next five years.

Under the regular purchase option, this version of the Hongguang Mini EV is priced at RMB 32,800.

($1 = RMB 7.0218)

SAIC-GM-Wuling takes page from NIO's book to make its Mini EV even more affordable

The post Wuling cuts prices on its mini EVs by up to $1,850 appeared first on CnEVPost.

For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.

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