Plans for a flying automobile and artificial intelligence-powered vehicles have previously been revealed by Xpeng, another massive Chinese firm that not many people on these shores would be familiar with. Be cautious, though, as the only Xpeng vehicle announced for the Irish auto market thus far is a very traditional G6 SUV, reports Breaking News.
Xpeng’s automobiles will now be imported into Ireland by Motor Distributors Limited (MDL), a long-standing distributor of Mercedes-Benz automobiles and commercial vehicles (and more recently, the Smart and BYD brands as well).
That G6 SUV will be the first Xpeng vehicle to reach our shores. This Tesla Model Y-sized vehicle has a range of 435 to 570 km and may be powered by either lithium-ion or lithium-iron phosphate batteries, reports Breaking News.
Perhaps more significantly, depending on the model you choose, Xpeng’s G6 can be charged incredibly quickly. It uses an 800-volt charging system like to that of a Porsche to deliver between 200kW and 280kW of DC fast-charging power.
The G6 is a member of the rapidly growing Xpeng (pronounced Shao-Peng) model family, which also includes SUVs of different sizes, a large MPV (the X9), and two saloons (the smaller P5 and the bigger P7). Although it has specifically named the P7 saloon, MDL has not yet confirmed whether additional Xpeng models are intended for Ireland. However, it has stated that manufacturing of all Xpeng vehicles with right-hand drive is being considered, reports Breaking News.
Prices should be competitive. The G6 is often a few thousand euros less expensive than a comparable Tesla Model Y in the most of European markets where Xpeng has already made its appearance. Of course, that particular apple cart may be upended by the EU’s planned levies on Chinese electric vehicles.
In addition to the standard 10% EU import tax, Xpeng’s tariff rate may reach 45%. Vice-chair and co-president Brian Gu recently told CNBC that although the company is under a lot of pressure from these tariffs, it has a “long term focus on Europe” and is working to “find every possible way to address and make ourselves competitive,” reports Breaking News.
That may involve a production facility in Europe, but in recent weeks, there has also been some warming of ties between the EU and China, with discussions about finding a solution to end the small trade war over electric vehicles.
Paddy Finnegan, the chief executive of MDL, stated: “MDL will be honoured to represent the Xpeng range of vehicles that we will offer to Irish motorists and their dealers – whom we have not yet completely appointed, reports Breaking News.
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