Xpeng launches new variant of X9 MPV to expand potential customer base

Xpeng has added a new variant of its MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) model, the X9, in an attempt to expand its potential customer base and further drive sales growth.

The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker today rolled out the X9 610 Max at a starting price of RMB 379,800 (USD54,090).

The new variant is RMB 20,000 more expensive than the entry-level X9 610 Pro, but adds two LiDARs to enable use of the XNGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) full-scenario assisted driving feature.

The X9 610 Pro doesn't have any LiDAR and only supports smart driving on the highway and features including ACC (autonomous cruise control) on normal roads.

In addition, the Max version has more powerful intelligent driving hardware with 2 Nvidia Drive Orin chips that deliver 508 TOPS of computing power. The Pro version has only one Orin chip with 254 TOPS.

Previously available variants include two Pro versions and two Max versions with a CLTC range of 610-702 kilometers.

The X9 is the flagship model under Xpeng's SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) 2.0 architecture and is the company's most expensive to date.

Volume deliveries of the model began in mid-Jan, and William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of Nio, is among the owners.

So far this year, Xpeng has delivered 77,209 vehicles, up 16.75%.

Monthly deliveries of the X9 have been in the 1,000-2,000 range for the past several months, including 1,450 deliveries in Aug, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

By the end of Aug, the X9 had accumulated 16,052 deliveries, contributing 20.79% of Xpeng's deliveries so far this year.