This is an XPeng G6, as seen in the Chinese capital Beijing in 2023. The good G6 looked brand new, painted in a bright orange shade that Xpeng calls “Melting Cloud Orange.” It surely melted all the gray and black cars parked around it.
XPeng is a relatively new Chinese EV brand. XPeng was founded in 2014 and their first car, the XPeng G3, launched on the Chinese car market in 2018. At the moment of writing, XPeng sells five cars: the G9 SUV, the P7 sedan, the P5 sedan, the G3 crossover, and this G6 SUV-coupe. The full-electric XPeng G6 was launched in China in 2023.
Yesterday, I ranted about the dull gray interior of the new Toyota bZ3. I said that Chinese car brands usually do better interiors, with lighter colors. They really do. But not this time. The buyer of this particular G6 went for… gray. This interior color is called Starry Night Black. It isn’t black I think. I call it gray. But, confusingly, XPeng also sells a color called Qiyu Gray, which I would call white.
The colors beside, the interior of the XPeng G6 looks very good. The dashboard has a 10.2-inch letterbox instrument panel and a 15-inch central touch screen. The steering wheel has an oval shape with two spokes and a flat bottom. The center tunnel seems super wide with two cup holders and a double wireless charging pad. Below the tunnel is a storage space, apparently large enough for tissues and wet cleaning wipes.
This car has a cartoon figure fitted on the back of the front passenger seat. Seems like a kind of storage thing for kids.
XPeng sells various versions of the G6 in China. The base version has rear-wheel drive. The motor puts out 296 hp 440 Nm. It has a 66 kWh battery for a range of 580 kilometers. Next up is a long-range version of this base model. It has the same power, but it comes with an 87.5 kWh battery for 755 kilometers of range. Finally, XPeng sells a sporty twin-motor version with all-wheel drive. Combined output is 487 hp and 660 Nm. It does 0-100 in 3.9 seconds. The battery is the 87.5 kWh unit again, and the range is 700 kilometers.
The car we have here is the base RWD version with 66 kWh. It costs 209.900 yuan or $28.7K. When it was launched, there was a lot of discussion on the Chinese interwebs about the design of the XPeng G6. Opinions were divided: folks either loved it or they hated it. Well, I kind of like it.
It is a sporty-looking car with wide hips, small windows and narrow darkened light units. Perhaps there is a little too much empty space at the rear, but I can live with that. Badge on the left: 小鹏, Xiaopeng, XPeng.
The G6 is a China-only model for now, but it will be exported to European markets starting in 2024. More on XPeng soon! I saw all of their cars on the road, I visited an experience store, and I went to an XPeng dealer. Lots to talk about. If I only had enough time…