Xpeng opens new EV factory in Guangzhou
The Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng has commissioned its new production facility in Guangzhou, China. The plant has an annual production capacity of 120,000 vehicles and will manufacture the flagship G9 model, among others.
Xpeng started construction of the new factory in September 2020 and received approval for full vehicle production from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in late December 2022. This is Xpeng’s second production facility after the Zhaoqing plant, which is currently being expanded to an annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles. A third Xpeng plant for 100,000 electric cars is currently under construction in Wuhan.
Xpeng Motors is located in the south of China in the province of Guangdong. The manufacturer’s second plant has also been built in this province. To finance the new production facility, the company, which was founded in 2014, had signed a cooperation agreement with the investment firm Guangzhou GET Investment. According to the agreement, Guangzhou GET Investment has invested 1.3 billion yuan (about 160 million euros) in the construction of the plant and will now lease it to Xpeng Motors for seven years before the manufacturer plans to take over the site itself.
Among other things, the new flagship G9, which is also designed for international markets, is to come off the production line in Guangzhou. The model uses an electric car platform designed for 800 volts with silicon carbide technology. The system, which Xpeng calls ‘XPower 3.0’, is designed for very high charging powers of up to 480 kW (600 amps at 800 volts). This is supposed to be able to recharge electricity for up to 200 kilometres (according to Chinese standards) in only five minutes. In China, the model will be offered for 309,900 to 469,900 yuan, which currently corresponds to around 44,500 to 67,500 euros.
Xpeng is also planning two new and three revised models in China this year. The newcomer duo is a coupé-like SUV called G7, which is to be presented at Auto China in April. The other is an as-yet-unnamed electric van that is expected to go into production in September 2023. According to Chinese media reports, both new models will be equipped with the company’s 800-volt technology. In addition, Xpeng is planning facelifts of its existing P5, P7 and G3 models this year.
For Europe, Xpeng has announced the launch of two more models, which are the P7 large electric sedan and the G9 electric SUV. Both models have been available for order in Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden since the beginning of February.
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