XPeng G9 2023: Chinese SUV claims "700km" range, 480kW fast-charging

XPeng claims its luxury electric SUV boasts the fastest charging rate in the world

XPeng has announced its new electric luxury SUV, the 2023 G9. The G9 becomes the fourth model in the Chinese EV manufacturer’s range.

As a company, XPeng is only eight years old, so the G9's claim of 480kW peak DC charging speed and 702km range (CLTC) is impressive.

The peak charge speed means the G9 can add 200km of range in just five minutes… if you’re lucky enough to have access to one of the brand’s 480kW chargers. In the west, the quickest DC fast chargers are around 350kW.

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XPeng has no plans to bring cars to Australia, though its global expansion began with the G3 small SUV hitting Norwegian dealerships in January 2021.

Measuring 4.89 metres long with a leather-appointed interior, the G9 is pegged as a cut-price Range Rover in its home market, where it costs between CNY309,000-469,900 (AU$66,255-100,705).

Range, charging speed and power

XPeng sells three configurations of G9 in China: standard range rear-drive, long-range rear drive and performance.

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The standard range cars get a single 230kW/430Nm rear-mounted electric motor and 570km range claim. The long range’s 96.0kWh ‘xPower3.0’ battery increases the range claim to 702km.

The G9’s headline 702km driving range figure is derived from the optimistic CLTC protocol. Generally, CLTC figures are between 20-25 per cent higher than WLTP. That puts a WLTP estimation for the G9 long range around 550-600km.

The AWD’s twin electric motors increases outputs to 405kW/717Nm for a 0-100km/h sprint in 3.9 seconds. Range drops to 650km.

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All G9s are built around an 800V electric platform – like Porsche’s Taycan, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 – allowing claimed peak DC fast-charging speeds of 480kW.

The G9 has plenty of driver-assistance tech

XPeng says the G9 has a total of 31 driver assistance sensors to power the adaptive cruise control and lane-trace assist systems. The driver-assistance suite is run by Nvidia Orin hardware.

Voice assistance, cargo capacity of 660 litres, a pair of 14.96-inch touchscreens, an 18-speaker Dynaudio sound system and adaptive air suspension feature on the flagship 650X Launch Edition.

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The G9 will go on sale in China in the third quarter of this year.

XPeng has not confirmed plans for global sales, but says the G9 has been developed to meet Euro NCAP five-star crash safety criteria and European vehicle certification laws.