Xpeng X9 is a radically styled Volkswagen ID Buzz rival with a claimed 400-mile-plus range
Chinese firm’s UK importer will follow £40k G6 crossover with four other fast-charging premium EVs by 2028
The futuristic Xpeng X9 MPV and G9 SUV will join the G6 crossover in UK showrooms from next year, as the Chinese brand works to build a five-strong UK line-up of fast-charging premium EVs by 2028.
Solihull-based importer International Motors has added Xpeng to its portfolio alongside GWM, Isuzu and Subaru and will start delivering the G6 to customers this spring, with prices expected to slightly undercut those of its chief rival, the Tesla Model Y.
Speaking to Autocar at a preview event for the G6, International Motors MD William Brown outlined plans to flesh out the Xpeng line-up and dealer network over the coming years in a bid to cement Xpeng as the UK’s “number-one Chinese premium EV brand”.
The X9 – which Brown said was “designed to look like a starship” – is a radically shaped seven-seater that will be positioned as the Xpeng flagship when launched here in early 2026, with pricing that’s “competitive compared with other luxury vehicles”.
Brown cited the Volkswagen ID Buzz and Kia EV9 as potential rivals for the X9 and suggested the company will give an indication of pricing around the middle of the year.
In China, the X9 is offered with a choice of single- and dual-motor powertrains with up to 496bhp and 472lb ft of torque and the option of either an 84.5kWh or a 101.5kWh battery pack for a maximum range of 436 miles (on China’s generous CLTC cycle).
Like the G6, it’s equipped with 800V electricals and so is said to be able to charge at rates of up to 330kW, making it one of the world’s fastest-charging electric cars.
Standard-fit rear steering gives the 5.3m-long X9 a hatchback-esque turning circle of 10.8m and “the agility of a smaller car”, Xpeng says, while adaptive dual-chamber air suspension ensures “the most comfortable driving experience”.
The cavernous, flat-floored interior can “accommodate camping and sports equipment” even with the third row of seats in place, and with the middle and rear benches folded down, there’s up to 2554 litres of load capacity – enough, Xpeng claims, for 29 cabin suitcases.
The third Xpeng EV due in the UK – towards the end of 2026 – is the G9, a mid-sized SUV in the vein of the Audi Q6 E-tron and Polestar 3, with up to 543bhp and an official maximum range of 323 miles – plus the ability to add 62 miles of range in as little as five minutes from a 300kW charger.
Beyond that, International Motors plans to bring two more Xpeng EVs to the UK by mid-2027, but these are understood to still be in development and haven’t yet been launched in China.
The new P7+ saloon, with its advanced camera-based autonomous driving system, and the value-focused Mona M03 liftback aren’t on the radar as it stands.
Importantly, said Brown, International Motors will import only models that are well suited for the UK market, rather than looking to launch the whole gamut of Xpengs here.
It aims to be selling Xpengs from 20 UK dealers by the end of the year and to notch up around 2000 sales of the G6 in 2025, following its customer launch in the spring.
It will “ramp up the dealer representation” as more models come on stream, Brown said, but “we’re fairly pragmatic, because this is an EV-only brand. There are some really good EV operators out there; if they’re not in the right location, we would probably sacrifice the location for the right operator.”
In terms of raising awareness of the Xpeng brand among the British public, Brown said: “We’re very much going to lead on the technology story and the product. So what you probably won’t see is lots of big, fancy marketing campaigns, but what you will see is lots of products coming quite quickly with cutting-edge technology.
“It’s much more focused around producing the best products that enhance the way that people use their EVs.”
Asked what will give Xpengs the edge over the equivalent Teslas, for example, Brown cited the fact that the American EV brand’s long-held reputation as a leader in public fast-charging is dissipating as rival DC networks grow and touted Xpeng’s focus on software, design and quality as features that will bolster its standing in a European context.