The Appearance of XPeng G9
The visual impression of XPeng G9 is not much, and the interior is closed.
However, with the speech by XPeng Automotive co-founder Xia Yan at the press conference, the information about the tiered software architecture of the whole vehicle, the 800V voltage platform, two lidar, Xpilot 4.0, and other technologies was repeatedly applauded by the audience.
XPeng G9 is positioned as a large electric SUV, in which an opponent in the same class has already made its name or is readying to launch, such as NIO ES8, Audi e-tron, and newcomer Cadillac LYRIQ.
Based on past data, Chinese people have a strong penchant for SUVs, and are expected to keep that preference unchanged with the change of the powertrain, so the market for pure electric large SUVs in the next few years might be very competitive.
Therefore, how powerful is the G9, hailed as the strongest mass-produced car in XPeng’s product lineup?
Impressive Underlying Infrastructure
XPeng currently has two platforms: David, defined as a 2,600-2,800mm wheelbase, and Edward, defined as a 2,800-3,100mm wheelbase. The G3 and P5 are based on the David platform, while the G9 and P7 are based on the Edward platform.
For the G9, XPeng has adopted a brand-new X-EEA 3.0 electronic and electrical architecture, which is considered a leading-edge next-generation electronic and electrical architecture in the industry.
In other words, based on fully self-developed technology, X-EEA 3.0 is no longer divided into domain control based on functions like before but uses a highly integrated hardware architecture of central supercomputer plus region control. This makes it possible to load higher-performance chips and support more advanced intelligent assisted driving and more powerful intelligent cockpit.
Therefore, the G9 is expected to be the first mass-produced car equipped with the XPILOT 4.0 intelligent assisted driving system.
At the XPeng 1024 Technology Day held last month, XPeng unveiled its City-Level Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) for the first time, and announced that this feature will be pushed to consumers along with the XPILOT 3.5 system version in the first half of 2022. At the same time, XPeng defined XPILOT 4.0 as a full-scenario intelligent assisted driving system.
However, currently there is only this much information available about XPILOT 4.0, and no further information has been revealed with the launch of the G9.
During the G9 press conference, Xia Yan mentioned that the G9 will be equipped with the XPower 3.0 power system.
This power system is developed based on the 800V high-voltage SiC platform, and will achieve ultra-fast charging in 5 minutes, with more than 200 km of extra range added, and a maximum efficiency of the electric drive system of over 95%.
Of course, in order to match the 800V high-voltage platform, XPeng will also install China’s first batch of 480kW high-voltage supercharging piles, so as to fully release the energy replenishing efficiency of the 800V high-voltage platform.
In addition, from the front face of the G9, we can see that it will also be equipped with two LIDARs, arranged in the same way as the P5.
However, the LIDAR suppliers for the two models are different. The LIDAR on the P5 is from Livox, which is incubated under DJI, while the G9’s LIDAR is the MEMS LIDAR M1 from SureStar.
Moreover, the G9 also features an Ethernet-based communication architecture with a gigabit backbone, and supports multiple communication protocols, making vehicle data transmission faster, and supporting advanced intelligent driving systems, intelligent cabins, OTA, and other intelligent functions that rely on large amounts of data transmission.
In summary, the OTA experience will be smoother and the upgrade time will be greatly reduced, with whole-vehicle OTA control within 30 minutes. For reference, currently a major OTA upgrade in the industry typically takes nearly two hours.The information revealed by Xia Yan during the G9 launch event includes that, besides family design on its front appearance, there is no obvious connection between G9 and the three models of XPeng currently on sale. In fact, G9 marks a qualitative leapfrogging from the previous three models, making it the strongest mass-produced car in XPeng’s product lineup.
The Insider Competition of New Players
From the above, we get to know about some aspects of G9, but we still don’t know much about the interior and the power endurance, etc.
However, XPeng may not be able to avoid the situation of confronting with its “former sick friend” NIO again.
As people are saying, except for the traditional automakers, such as Audi e-tron, Cadillac LYRIQ, etc., the NIO ES8, also a new entrant to the auto market, is the primary competitor that XPeng G9 cannot escape from once it is launched.
But, if we look beyond the competition in the same category, XPeng G9 and NIO ET7, the latest products of their respective brands, may compete positively in smart driving and other aspects. It can even be said that XPeng and NIO are producing products that share more and more similar features.
XPeng’s Vice President for Autonomous Driving, Wu Xinzhou, stated earlier that they will launch a mass-produced car using the XPILOT 4.0 hardware package during 2022. It will be a mid-to-large-sized SUV with the aim of pushing “full-scenario intelligent assisted driving” to users in the first half of 2023.
In other words, the delivery of G9 will probably come before 2023, with the earliest expectation of it being launched next year.
As for NIO ET7, which is defined as an intelligent electric flagship sedan, it is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of next year, and two NT2.0 models on the same platform as ET7 will be launched in the second half of next year.
On the electric drive system, XPeng G9 claims to be the first mass-produced car in China based on the 800V high-voltage SiC platform, while NIO previously stated that ET7 would be equipped with a SiC (silicon carbide) electric drive system.In the field of intelligent driving, XPeng G9 will provide a more advanced intelligent driving system XPILOT 4.0, while NIO ET7 will adopt a set of super-sensing system called “Aquila”, claiming to “significantly enhance the perception ability of NAD, and improve the safety of autonomous driving by two levels”.
In terms of product matrix, XPeng has already covered compact SUVs, mid-to-large-sized sedans, compact sedans, and the latest release of mid-to-large-sized SUVs. On the other hand, NIO has already covered mid-to-large-sized SUVs, mid-sized SUVs, and will soon deliver pure electric large sedans.
It can be seen that the arrival of ET7 is to fill the gap in NIO’s sedan market, while the arrival of G9 is to fill the gap in XPeng’s mid-to-large-sized SUV market; both are orderly layout around the “sedan + SUV” market in the product matrix.
In addition, XPeng’s service system also has a trend of homogenization with NIO.
At the same time as the launch of G9, XPeng officially released two new system brands, X-SERVICE Intelligent Quick Enjoy Service and X-CERTIFIED XPeng Official Second-hand Car.
The former is a full-cycle service system that satisfies users’ needs for car reservation, delivery, and use through a dedicated service group managed by the service butler Captain; and provides users with an integrated solution for online pre-diagnosis and appointment service through integrated smart diagnosis.
Currently, the first batch of 23 cities in northern, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou have officially launched X-SERVICE Intelligent Quick Enjoy Service, focusing on achieving one-hour service reach in core urban areas.
The latter is committed to creating an intelligent, high-quality second-hand car trading service ecological chain. The goal is to help car sellers sell or exchange vehicles efficiently and maintain their value, while allowing car buyers to transparently and confidently purchase vehicles. This is almost the same as NIO Certified launched by NIO earlier this year.
In terms of price, XPeng’s original price range was from 150,000 to 300,000, and now it intends to move up with G9. While NIO’s original price range was from 300,000 to 500,000, it may introduce lower-priced models through its sub-brands next year.
If the new forces of car-making companies are trying to avoid a head-on collision with traditional car companies, and each is trying to dig out the weakest point of traditional car companies to achieve overtaking. When this race track becomes increasingly compatible, and traditional car companies are enhancing their own weaknesses, the only thing left for new forces of car-making companies may be “internal competition” with each other.
A New Beginning
Before the Guangzhou Auto Show, He XPeng held a brand renewal conference and spent an hour elaborating on the past, present, and future of XPeng Motors with confidence, and changed the logo from four wings to two wings.
As for the widely criticized name of XPeng, He XPeng firmly refuses to change it, and listed a series of brands named after their founders on the screen as evidence, such as Mercedes-Benz, Nikola Tesla, and so on.
“I have been thinking very clearly since the beginning of last year. We will not change the name! From another perspective, in 5 years, 10 years, or even 20 years later, I believe that brands named after Chinese names will go global, and China will have the confidence to go global and go out there!”
In response to the long-standing doubts since the establishment of the company, He XPeng responded directly on the company’s name for the first time.
It is certain that binding his own name with the company he created is an all-in bet. If he succeeds, he will enjoy the reputation, but if he fails, he will never come back.
The real significance of this brand renewal can also be understood as another identity transformation completed by XPeng Motors.
“It’s already difficult to define the XPeng brand as a car company.” He XPeng said, “We hope to lead the future travel revolution through exploration of technology, become explorers of future transportation, and this is the new brand positioning of XPeng. Because we focus more on the future and have larger plans, we need a brand-new XPeng to carry it.”
In addition to the field of cars, low-altitude flying vehicles and intelligent machine horses are also the exploration fields that XPeng has been insisting on. XPeng Motors hopes to evolve from a pioneer in intelligent cars to an explorer of future transportation.
Before this, XPeng had experienced days of doubts, and days of fighting for life in the ICU. Every step he took was very cautious. It was not until the appearance of XPeng P7, the design of Peng Wing Doors, and the delivery of the world’s first mass-produced car equipped with a laser radar, XPeng P5, that XPeng began to take each step boldly and confidently.
After that, it is believed that this prominent player in China’s new force will continue to move forward with years of profound experience!
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.