The best place in the world to be an electric vehicle consumer is definitely China. Automakers are duking it out to offer the most incentives and the most features at the lowest cost. The government continues to prop up sales with its own mix of inducements. There’s also more variety in the Chinese market than, possibly, all other major markets combined.
China is a large place with a lot of people that’s long prioritized the development of its electric car industry, so this makes sense. Conversely, Britain is a relatively small place with fewer people that’s lately torpedoed its own car industry. Yet, in many ways, Britain is on the verge of becoming the other best place to buy an electric car.
Admittedly, you could make an argument for the United States, which has a lot of endemic EVs that aren’t for sale elsewhere as well as generous tax credits (for now). Norway, too, has made huge strides in electrification, although that’s partially because car buyers there have been strongly nudged in that direction.
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David, Beau, and I went to the UK last summer for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and the place was absolutely dominated by new Chinese electric cars. There’s a logic to this, and it has to do a lot with Brexit. When Britain exited the EU it also exited its trade regime, meaning the newly-applied tariffs against Chinese automakers don’t exist in the UK. The breakup may have been an effort by the country’s conservatives, but it might be Britain’s left-wing parties and Chinese companies that benefit the most, as I previously wrote:
The politics of all of this are fascinating. The new Labour government in the UK wants to phase out combustion-powered cars by 2030, which is going to be much easier with Chinese cars. Even if the UK puts a small tariff on Chinese-built EVs there’s a lot less of a domestic car industry to be worried about ruining and the environmental upside might be worth it for the country’s new leaders.
For now, Chinese cars pay the same 10% tariff that all other importers pay to bring cars to the UK.
While it’s not the biggest market in the world, the United Kingdom is a ripe target for Chinese automakers. And with growing global displeasure over Tesla’s CEO possibly dragging down sales, the Model Y is a good place to start.
Meet The XPENG G6
The last time we wrote about Chinese automaker XPENG outside of The Morning Dump, it was to talk about its E-VTOL flying car concept. Flying cars aside, it’s a serious player in the Chinese space, having just surpassed Li Auto in January of this year with 30,350 deliveries.
In the UK, the first vehicle for sale will be the XPENG G6, which is what they call an “Ultra Smart Coupe SUV.” It’s a crossover that looks and acts very much like a Tesla Model Y, but cheaper.
At launch, the G6 will only be available in the RWD standard trim, which gets 270 miles of range on the WLTP cycle and costs £39,990, or about $55,000. The cheapest of the refreshed Model Y in the UK starts at £46,900 and goes 373 miles. If you want a lot more range, the G6 RWD Long Range costs just £44,990 and goes 354 miles.
It also offers 280 kW of charging speed thanks to its 800-volt architecture. In most ways, it seems quite competitive with the Tesla Model Y. Autocar‘s editors got their hands on one and found it to be a “close match” for the Tesla.
The G6 is a good car, in short, but Xpeng’s marketing people will have a hell of a job on their hands making people take notice of a car that doesn’t seem to have many distinguishing features.
Then again, perhaps its unnoteworthiness is in itself a feature. In the G6, we haven’t been annoyed by a tetchy ride, jerky accelerator, mandatory one-pedal driving or poor adaptive cruise control, as we might have been in a Model Y, but we were driving a car that for all intents and purposes does the same things for less money. The product is objectively impressive; we’re just not sure how you turn all of that into a catchy marketing slogan.
Tesla’s Musk might be helping here, as “not a Tesla” might appeal to some people. At the same time, it’s also available in this sweet orange color. Orange cars sell themselves.
Next time I’m in the UK I’ll be tempted to drive one, unless Adrian beats me to it.
If EV success requires torpedoing our domestic automakers and sending all of our manufacturing capacity overseas to a very definitely hostile regime whose all-but-stated plan is to predatory price out all the competition so they have a global monopoly, then I’ll keep my hybrid thank you very much.
You just stated Elon’s game plan – and I cannot think of a more hostile regime than the one that is dismantling a 249 year old democracy right now.
So for similar range to the entry level model Y, the G6 is only going to be 2k cheaper? That doesn’t sound like the value proposition I would have expected, especially with minimal tariffs.
I’m probably wrong about the general consumer populace but I wouldn’t buy a car from a brand that sounds like every fly-by-night dropshipper on Amazon. I feel like I’d find XPENG bluetooth headphones next to KVIDIO and TAGRY.
I always wonder about all the weird Chinese stuff I see advertised. Are people buying that stuff? I assume they must be.
I can’t speak to cars but for smaller items, absolutely. People are as price conscious as ever, and will definitely choose the cheapest option. Amazon feels like it is 90% crap like that anymore so it’s almost inescapable.
Depends on the use case. If I’m buying something for one-time use, I might take the risk on an alphabet soup brand if it’s enough cheaper. Similar to my approach with Harbor Freight.
Cars? Not so much.
Beyond a technical price vs function vs quality equation, a reason to buy a domestic brand over a Chinese one was that you didn’t want your purchase to benefit an authoritarian regime. Since that differentiation has now been eliminated, if not swung hard in the other direction, it should give a meaningful boost to the Chinese auto industry.
How has that differentiation been eliminated??? Did China suddenly stop being Communist?
I think he’s attempting to imply the opposite, that the US has now become an authoritarian regime and that it’s now a moot point?
YUP, right over my head. My bad.
Happens to the best of us, and also to me quite frequently.
I am the first to admit that irony is hard to spot in our current times. As somebody who was a freshman at UW-Madison when The Onion started as a college paper, I find that it has been a strange transition.
I understand the sentiment, but the gulf in repression between the US and China remains vast. I know this because government censors have not removed your comment.
A variation in application does not mean a variation in intent or impact. I am also considering the vectors of each. On the factors meaningful to predicting outcomes, the U.S. is now far behind.
I’ve driven one. It is as Autocar described: seriously impressive tech but otherwise unremarkable to drive.
Then it’ll probably sell well. The majority of car buyers don’t give a hoot about driving dynamics.
These are on sale in Australia too, but I’ve literally seen one on the road because they’re 10-15k more than a BYD Atto 3 and most people just aren’t willing to be paying that much more for what is ostensibly a similar car with less brand recognition
It is more powerful than the Atto 3, and has arguably better tech and build quality. Give it time.
Yeah, so a 10 year-old company that’s only been making cars for 8 years. Peeps who buy these coz they’re cheap are penny-wise and pound-foolish. The resale value of an unknown brand that might not even be around in 5 years due to competition in China, is going to be horrendous. Add in questions around Chinese software and data protection, sooner or later Chinese cars will get banned, especially if China decides to liberate Taiwan, Japan’s Senkaku Island or any of the out-lying and contested Philippine islands in the South China Sea.
Even if all the above doesn’t happen or peeps give zero craps about all of that, it may pay to wait a beat and let new players in the Chinese auto industry mature first. The Chinese business SOP is make money now and tomorrow’s problems are for someone else. That someone else is you, the consumer.
I think you may be overlooking something important that isn’t often spoken of. That is, we view cars as having some value that declines at a somewhat linear rate that correlates with age, mileage and condition. We are used to the notion that cars have resale value.
In the new world, this will cease to be a thing. You should really consider looking at the new era of cars having similar resale to that of a laptop or a phone. Which is to say, it won’t be a thing in the future.
They will be built to a very exacting price point and then sold with the idea that they will be disposed of after the original owner has used it to their satisfaction. Just like we do with nearly every other consumer product these days.
“But people won’t accept that!” Yes, but they already have. Consumer culture has successfully been shifted to accept the fact that nearly everything you buy is disposable and that it’s better to get a new thing than to keep, maintain or repair the old thing. The old things are fussy, inconvenient, ugly, tired, etc. New things are always better things.
Nobody will care about the data concerns nor the software. Why would they? They’re using countless products and services where they’re willingly GIVING their data away! Again, technology culture has conditioned the masses to the idea that this is fine to great success. More people are willing to give up any idea of privacy in exchange for convenience or a shiny new thing.
These cars are going to fly off the lots.
I agree that more and more cars are viewed in the same way as other disposable tech, such as laptops, cell phones, TVs as peeps want the latest, greatest and shiniest new thing. Consumers have been successfully dumbed down and now no longer even consider repairing anything, when it’s easy to throw away and buy new. What a shame.
For the auto industry, treating vehicles as throwaway, fast-fashion consumer items is not sustainable in the long term. It’s also very wasteful. Honestly, future us is more likely to implement the cars-as-a-service model rather than personal transportation that you replace every few years.
As for data protection and software concerns, there’s a reason Huawei was banned from supplying 5G cellular services to most Western countries and the same concerns will hold true for Chinese cars. Which is why the US Govt banned Chinese-built and cars with Chinese software. Would you drive a new Russian car with Russian software? Nope. But you’re willing to accept Chinese cars? Seriously?
China is not our friend. It doesn’t want to simply compete and it can’t compete on a level playing field. China wants to dominate, which is why the tech industry is heavily subsidized and incentivized, so it can undercut the opposition to gain enough market share until it is dominant in that sector.
Forget personal data privacy concerns, there are much bigger geopolitical consequences at play here. Watch this space.
You are correct, treating vehicles as throwaway is not sustainable. However, doing what we do with phones, clothes, computers, TVs, etc isn’t either–but here we are.
I wish logic and reason would win, but greed is far more powerful.
I have a idea: someone should buy a bunch of them, paint the UK flag on the roofs, peform death-defying stunts, and start a tv show.
“I’m an Xpeng that zings through the night
Like an orange bolt of lightning passing everything in sight
I’m the best pal the Duke blokes ever had
I’m thunder on the highway looking bad, bad, bad
I’m a knight, like a kind in shining armor
With my plastic body gleaming, I’m a fighter and a charmer
If trouble comes your way, just ask for me
My friends all know me as the General Li”
They do have real dukes over there, so it just might work.
270 miles on the WLTP, what is that in reality like 175?
Maybe thats OK for some people but that’s uncomptetitive with most EV’s
According to ev db, the std range version will do 265 highway km in -10C.
That is roughly 8 times the average daily distance a car will drive in europe.
The average daily distance in the US is apparently a little under 40 miles.
I think you ment to write “most”, instead of “some” in your comment.
Average journey in the UK is around 9 miles. A 160 mile range could take you from one side of the country to the other.
No argument here about EV’s and commutes, Matt should update the article to reflect the actual real world range and not the wildly wrong WLTP range.
I think my intention of. My comment was not clearly stated. I was not stating that that amount of range is in any way inadequate, I’m stating that it is not accurate for Matt to compare this car to a Tesla or really any modern EV which have like 100-200 more miles of range.
My gripe is with the WLTP cycle and how journalists present it as actual range which it clearly is not true. Matt stated 354 miles and compared it to a Tesla. Using your data this car only goes 177 miles.
Model Y, std range will do 250 km under the same circumstances.
Last i checked, 250 < 265.
Model Y Long range will do 320 km.and the the G6 long range will do 345 km.
These are not my numbers, but actual reported numbers according to ev db.
At least in Europe (pricing may vary, depending on the level of stupidity of the voting population in each region) The G6 has a lower price/range.
My ID4 is rated for 206 miles. This has been plenty of range for regular use. Even with a once a week commute to Fremont which is 90 miles total I’m still only charging it twice a week or so.
I prefer to call it the Xi jinPENG G6. Gives me chuckle every time.
They’re available in Oz too. Just under AU$64,000 (~US$40,000) drive away for the long range version. Their problem here is the massive amount of competition from other Chinese EV brands like MG, BYD, Geely, Polestar, Leapmotor etc with more launching this year. It’s no wonder Tesla sales have nose dived here.
I was in the UK last summer too and didn’t see a single Chinese car. Maybe because I wasn’t at Goodwood?
There’s plenty about, but most of them are pretty forgettable, so they’re easy to miss. Most of the electric vans I see seem to be from Chinese brands.
Of course, partly it depends if you think of brands like MG as being Chinese or not.
That’s a fair point. I forget about MG being Chinese now and honestly I wasn’t paying attention to the vans.
Polestar + Volvo => Geely
I think it is still very common for people (in the US like myself included) to think of at least Volvo as a Sweedish company when of course it is really a Sweedish in heritage company owned for many many years now by Geely.
MG is another one that I would expect is easy to forget it is Chinese owned, especially in the US since MG hasn’t been in the US market since roughly 1980
It’s weird, I see Polestar and associate it with Geely, not Volvo. I don’t think I noticed one when I was in the UK, but I see them in the states every now and then. I don’t make the same association with Volvo at all. In my mind calling them a Chinese brand is like saying Dodge is French. Or Dutch? I guess Stellantis is technically incorporated in the Netherlands. I guess I probably should have said I didn’t see (notice) any Chinese brands while I was there. That would have been more accurate.
100 percent global Corp. changes of ownership to a different country than where a car brand originated is weird.
Interesting to see the comments about this car’s looks. Has anyone here actually seen a Model Y? This car will hold up just fine to any visual comparison with that specific car (its main competitor).
“The UK’s Latest Tesla Model Y Competitor…”
Was anyone else expecting to see an article about a British car?
Because I find myself utterly baffled to be reading about a Chinese car that happens to be sold in the UK, among other places
That would be like publishing an article about a new Porsche or Mercedes-AMG, which is being reviewed in Portugal – and titling the article “We Drove Portugal’s Newest Sports Car!”
Yes.
It looks like a giant supository.
Totally!
The G6 is probably XPeng’s ugliest car on sale in my opinion, it’ll probably get an update this year that fixes the styling. When that update arrives to the UK/Europe, they’re gonna get accused of copying the Model Y refresh, which is ironically a styling copy of XPeng’s P7+. The G6 doesn’t appear to be doing amazing in the Chinese market, as the styling and the lack of PHEV/EREV options have pushed customers elsewhere. The interior is pretty generic ‘premium-ish Chinese EV’, but with slightly less concealed air vents.
Around 75% of their sales recently have been from their P7+ and Mona M03 sedans, which are extremely well priced yet competent.
The only Xpeng I care about is the X9. Now that is a slick MPV. Not quite as slick as the Li Xiang MEGA, but definitely cooler than any USDM van (yes including the frumpy Buzz).
“Same but cheaper” sells a lot. Look at Harbor Freight and their success. Doing the same thing maybe 90% as well but 80% of the price is going to sell.
Great example of this is the Harbor Freight Predator engines which are cloned previous gen Honda designs. I’ve got two of these on go karts, my Toro snowblower has one under a different name, and I’m swapping one on my old rototiller. China can build reliability if proper processes and management oversight is in place.
And if they crack the whip often enough on the laborers.
Many people have reservations about buying HF and other too-cheap-to-pass-up Chinese tools.
Chinese EVs are very competitive, though, and they range from boring to very creative. I can see them successfully burrowing their way into a good percentage of the market.
I’ve swapped the 212’s onto two old Toro snowblowers with no issues. Amazing how they can make a $120 engine that works as well as it does.
When you figure Loncin makes money on the deal, and gets shipped across the Pacific, then HF makes money and it’s shipped across the US. Fairly amazing.
Yeah, just tell people that it has “Tesla guts” and inside is same thing only it sell for cheaper, they don’t need to be paying for a brand
What does it say when companies identified with Elon Musk look worse than those that are enmeshed in the state capitalism of a country engaged in the kind of political repression to which we haven’t quite descended in the US – yet?
“Tesla will build a better car once it can engage in Chinese-style labor practices.”- Musk and every GOP member.
I’m afraid the visuals here don’t do it for me. Its very “generic EV” looking to me. Like if I was told instead this was the design for a car from GTA6 called the “Coil Why”, I would totally believe it. I look forward to the day where we discover new looks that achieve decent aerodynamics. Not that I buy new cars anyway, so my opinion is pretty meaningless.
But will they charge more to escape from the world of boring black cars? Because people know you got that throw away money when you can buy an actual color for your tesla! They have such a range like grey. And darker grey. And lighter gray when youre adventurous.
Who would ever want that bright orange?
You can get a Model Y in grey? I’m sure here in the UK they are almost all white.