XPeng’s G6 SUV aims to be a premium EV for the masses

Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng debuted its G6 coupe SUV, the fifth car in its lineup, at Auto Shanghai Tuesday.

The company is marketing the G6 vehicle as a premium EV but without the premium price tag. It’s got a futuristic, sleek body, a smart infotainment system and it can be equipped with XNGP, XPeng’s advanced driver assistance system that can automate driving tasks on highways and in cities.

While XPeng hasn’t yet shared pricing for the G6, the company has previously said it will be somewhere in the range of RMB 200,000 to 300,000 (USD ~$30,000 to $44,000). That’s not exactly a bargain, but it does put the G6 into affordable EV territory.

(It also really brings a whole new meaning to the song “Like a G6” by Far East Movement, which saw its lyrical debut 13 years ago, give or take a few days. Coincidence? Almost certainly. XPeng did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for more information.)

The G6 is XPeng’s first vehicle to be built on its new EV architecture platform, SEPA 2.0, which the automaker says allows it to bring down research, development and production costs significantly. Even investors are convinced by the potential savings — XPeng’s stock price jumped 13 percent Monday after the company unveiled SEPA.