The Xpeng X9 MPV is confirmed in China, becoming the first vehicle in the X-series.
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Category: China
XPeng CEO teases MPV model called X9
XPeng will open up the MPV market to a younger demographic with the X9, said He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of the EV maker.
XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) is starting to warm up for the company's first MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) model, after previously mentioning plans to build such a model.
In addition to the G6, XPeng has recently been building a new MPV, the X9, the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker's chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said today on Weibo.
"We will open up the MPV market for the younger demographic with this product," Mr. He said.
Mr. He's Weibo didn't mention anything more, but was accompanied by a picture showing the logo of the MPV's name.
XPeng had mentioned last year that the company would launch its first MPV in 2023, and provided more details during its earnings call on May 24.
XPeng will launch a 7-seat all-electric MPV, internally codenamed X9, in the fourth quarter of this year, the company's management said in the call.
Mr. He's Weibo today implies that the model is being finally named X9.
XPeng is defining the 7-seat MPV thinking about how young people associate with MPVs and will go into more detail about the logic of young people buying MPVs at its launch at the end of the year, the company said.
In the second half of the year, gross margin levels will steadily improve with deliveries of the G6, P7i and the MPV, the company said in the Wednesday call.
There are few good MPVs to choose from in the Chinese market before 2022, with the most well-known being the Buick GL8 and the Toyota Alphard. There are even fewer new-energy MPVs.
Dongfeng Motor's EV subsidiary Voyah launched its MPV model Voyah Dreamer in China on May 7, 2022.
BYD's premium brand Denza launched its D9 MPV on May 16, 2022, and Zeekr launched its Zeekr 009 MPV on November 2.
Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) is also expected to roll out its first MPV by the end of the year, though NIO (NYSE: NIO) has stressed several times that it has no plans to build such a model in the near future.
It's worth noting that the MPV market has been a niche segment in China.
Retail sales of passenger cars in China in April were 1,623,568 units, with 779,511 sedans, 748,503 SUVs and 95,554 MPVs, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
This means that MPVs contributed only 5.9 percent of China's passenger car sales in April.
China Apr auto sales breakdown: Sedan 779,511, SUV 748,503, MPV 95,554
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BYD Song Pro DM-i Champion Edition launched in China for 19,190 USD
BYD Song Pro DM-i launched in China right after GWM reported that BYD possibly failed emission standards. How did BYD handle it?
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China NEV retail up 13% MoM to 372,000 in 1st 3 weeks of May, CPCA data show
Retail penetration of NEVs in China was 35.6 percent in the first three weeks of May.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
In the first three weeks of May -- May 1 to May 21 -- retail sales of new energy passenger vehicles in China were 372,000 units, up 109 percent year-on-year and up 13 percent from the same period last month, according to data released yesterday by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
So far this year, China's retail sales of new energy passenger cars were 2.125 million units, up 44 percent year-on-year.
Wholesale sales of new energy passenger cars in China from May 1 to 21 were 361,000 units, up 81 percent year-on-year and up 10 percent from the same period in April, according to the CPCA.
So far this year, China's wholesale sales of new energy passenger vehicles are 2.469 million units, up 47 percent year-on-year.
In the first three weeks of May, retail sales of all passenger vehicles in China were 1.046 million units, up 41 percent year-on-year and up 10 percent from the same period last month, the CPCA said.
So far this year, cumulative retail sales of passenger cars in China are up 3 percent to 6.941 million units.
This means that in the first three weeks of May, China's penetration of new energy vehicles (NEVs) at retail was 35.6 percent, and the year-to-date penetration of NEVs was 31.9 percent.
In the first week of May, May 1-7, the average daily retail sales of passenger cars in China were 54,000 units, up 67 percent from the same period last May and up 46 percent from the same period in April.
In the second week of May, May 8- 14, the average daily retail sales of passenger cars in China were 48,000 units, up 44 percent over the same period last May and up 6 percent over the same period in April.
In the third week of May, May 15-21, the average daily retail sales of passenger cars in China were 48,000 units, up 17 percent from the same period last May but down 11 percent compared to the same period last month.
As price wars faded, dealers' mindsets stabilized and consumers returned to rational consumption, the CPCA said, adding that this eased wait-and-see sentiment and released pent-up demand.
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SAIC-GM-Wuling launches new mini EV Yep, prices start at $11,290
The Baojun Yep is available in two versions, with the pricier one equipped with a smart driving system developed by SAIC-GM-Wuling with drone maker DJI.
(Image credit: SAIC-GM-Wuling)
SAIC-GM-Wuling today officially launched its new electric vehicle (EV), the Yep, the latest addition to its line of mini EVs.
The Yep is available under SAIC-GM-Wuling's Baojun brand in two versions, starting at RMB 79,800 ($11,290) and RMB 89,800 respectively.
The Baojun Yep looks somewhat similar to the Suzuki Jimny, and SAIC-GM-Wuling said the model uses the Square Box design language to target the needs of younger customers.
The length, width and height of the Baojun Yep are 3,381 mm, 1,685 mm and 1,721 mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,110 mm.
For comparison, the Hongguang Mini EV, another SAIC-GM-Wuling model, measures 3,059 mm in length, 1,521 mm in width and 1,614 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,010 mm.
The Baojun Yep is powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a peak power of 50 kW and a peak torque of 140 Nm.
The model has a battery pack capacity of 28.1 kWh and a CLTC range of 303 km.
It supports fast charging and can go from 30 percent to 80 percent in 35 minutes.
The Baojun Yep with a starting price of RMB 89,800 is equipped with the Lingxi intelligent driving system announced in August 2022 by SAIC-GM-Wuling and DJI Automotive, the automotive division of drone manufacturer DJI.
The system is based on SAIC-GM-Wuling's "Emotion Engine" concept, which focuses on urban mobility scenarios, SAIC-GM-Wuling previously said.
The Lingxi intelligent driving system takes advantage of DJI's technological strengths in the field of binocular cameras and is based on the latter's algorithms in the field of vision perception and experience in vision perception systems for drones.
SAIC-GM-Wuling's 2023 Baojun KiWi EV is the first model to use the system.
Equipped with the Lingxi system, the Baojun Yep allows users to turn on intelligent driving with a single click, enabling functions including obstacle recognition and response, and intelligent speed regulation in curves.
The model is also equipped with smart parking assist, which enables full-scene automatic parking.
Baojun previewed the model on May 9, when it also shared images and a video of the two-door pickup version of the Yep.
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.
In the small EV segment, in addition to the hot-selling Mini EV, SAIC-GM-Wuling launched the mini EV Air EV in China last December and the Binguo EV at the end of March this year.
Notably, SAIC-GM-Wuling has seen a decline in NEV sales so far this year, while other major NEV makers in China have seen sales growth.
In January-April, SAIC-GM-Wuling's NEV retail sales were 111,604 units, down 15.9 percent from 132,658 units in the same period last year, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
As a comparison, BYD saw sales increase 81.3 percent year-on-year to 702,608 units and Tesla China grew 61.5 percent year-on-year to 177,385 units during this period.
In an effort to boost sales growth, SAIC-GM-Wuling began allowing consumers to pay only for the body and rent the battery when purchasing the Mini EV on May 11, lowering the purchase threshold to RMB 19,800.
On May 22, SAIC-GM-Wuling announced a price cut of up to RMB 13,000 for the Hongguang Mini EV family, saying the move was in response to China's call to promote NEV consumption in rural areas.
($1 = RMB 7.0692)
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Great Wall Auto Reports BYD’s Potential Emission Violations
At present, whether BYD violates the regulations still needs to be identified by the regulatory authorities. If the charges are established, BYD could face a massive recall and fines.
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Baojun Yep launched with a 35L frunk refrigerator in China
The coolest Chinese EV starts at 79,800 yuan (11,300 USD).
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Herbert Diess met with CATL founder Robin Zeng in China
They first met 12 years ago when Diess was workign at BMW and searching for EV batteries producers.
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BYD launches 2023 Song Pro DM-i with lower prices and longer battery range
The 2023 Song Pro DM-i starts at RMB 5,000 less than the model's 2022 counterpart, but the two lower-priced versions come with larger battery packs.
(Image: BYD video screenshot)
BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY) today launched yet another model facelift, and as it has been doing for past few months, it's making some specification upgrades while pricing them lower.
The model, called Song Pro DM-i Champion Edition, is offered in four versions starting at RMB 135,800 ($19,200), RMB 142,800, RMB 149,800 and RMB 159,800 respectively.
It has a battery range of 71 km for the lower-priced two versions and 110 km for the other two versions, with battery packs of 12.9 kWh and 18.3 kWh respectively.
For comparison, the previously on-sale BYD Song Pro DM-i has five versions with starting prices of RMB 140,800, 147,800, 154,800, 157,800 and 165,800 respectively, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.
The 2022 Song Pro DM-i includes three versions with a battery range of 51 km, and two versions with a battery range of 110 km, and they have a battery pack capacity of 8.3 kWh, 18.3 kWh respectively.
This means that the starting price of the 2023 BYD Song Pro DM-i has been reduced by RMB 5,000 and the battery range of the version with the smaller battery pack has been increased.
The BYD Song Pro DM-i Champion Edition measures 4,738 mm in length, 1,860 mm in width and 1,710 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,712 mm.
The 2022 BYD Song Pro DM-i has a length, width and height of 4,650 mm, 1,860 mm and 1,700 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,712 mm.
The Song Pro DM-i Champion is powered by a 1.5L engine with a maximum power of 81 kW and a maximum torque of 135 Nm. It has an electric motor with a maximum power of 145 kW and a maximum torque of 325 Nm.
The time from 0 to 100 km/h is 8.3 seconds for the two less expensive versions and 7.9 seconds for the other two more expensive versions.
Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) makers have generally faced weaker consumer demand so far this year, with the withdrawal of state purchase subsidies at the end of last year.
BYD has continued to roll out facelifts and offer lower starting prices in the past few months.
On March 16, BYD made the 2023 Han EV available for a starting price of RMB 209,800, down from RMB 219,800 for the model's 2022 version.
On May 10, BYD launched a revamped version of its all-electric Seal sedan, with a starting price of RMB 23,000 lower than the previously available model.
On May 18, the 2023 Han DM-i and Han DM-p models were launched in China with starting prices reduced by RMB 28,000 and RMB 32,000 respectively compared to the 2022 model.
BYD sold 210,295 NEVs in April, up 98.31 percent from 106,042 units in the same month last year and up 1.55 percent from 207,080 units in March.
BYD aims to sell at least 3 million vehicles this year and strives for 3.6 million, Wang Chuanfu, the company's chairman and president, said at a March 29 investor conference.
($1 = RMB 7.0719)
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HiPhi Y is here to rival the all-new Nio ES6. Will gull-wing doors help it?
The starting price of the HiPhi Y was disclosed right after the Nio ES6 NT2 launch. Which car is a better choice for 52,000 USD?
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