The Chinese electric vehicle startup said on Wednesday that Xpeng unveiled the G9 flagship SUV, the fourth production vehicle in its lineup, that will set a “new benchmark” for passenger car self-driving technology.
The automaker said the G9 will be equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that will eventually cover both city and highway driving scenarios.
“we believe [the G9] He Xiaopeng, CEO and chairman of Xpeng Motors, said at the G9 online launch.
The same week the G9 was unveiled, Xpeng launched the highly anticipated City Navigation Guidance Pilot (NGP) on its X5 family sedan. ADAS, which is comparable to Tesla’s brand of self-driving software, is being piloted first in Guangzhou and will be available to G9 buyers first.
The G9 SUV will be divided into three series — each with a different range — and a total of six configurations. The estimated range is 570 km (354 miles), 650 km (404 miles) or 702 km (436 miles) depending on the variant. The smart luxury car will be priced between 309,900 to 469,900 yuan (about $44,000 to $66,660), depending on the model.
The company said the first deliveries are scheduled for October.
XNGP: Xiaopeng full scene ADAS
Xpeng’s first-generation ADAS Xpilot will be standard on mid-range G9 models. Xpilot includes certain features such as Valet Parking Assist and Highway NGP, which enables navigation-assisted autonomous driving from point A to point B on the highway.
The city NGP, just launched in Guangzhou, will continue to expand at the rate of one city per month, and can perform tasks such as left or right turns, intersection navigation, avoidance of pedestrians, cyclists, and buildings.
The highest-end version of the G9 will come standard with Nvidia’s Drive Orin chip and rely on 31 sensors, including a front-view camera and dual lidar sensors. These will allow drivers to buy Xpeng’s second-generation “full-scene” ADAS, called XNGP, for 28,000 yuan (about $4,000).
Xpeng said that by 2023, XNGP will be able to handle a variety of driving scenarios without relying entirely on high-precision maps, when it will be available in most cities in China. As with Tesla’s ADAS, the law requires drivers to be vigilant when the car is in Autopilot mode in case they need to take over the vehicle.
faster car charging
The G9’s new powertrain system allows the all-wheel-drive version of the G9 to produce 551 horsepower, 717 Nm (or about 528 pound-feet) of torque, and go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. The SUV can stop just as quickly, coming to a complete stop at 60 mph below 114 feet.
Thanks to a new 800-volt electrical architecture system, Xpeng says the G9 is also able to charge faster on the automaker’s growing network of 480-kilowatt booster stations — some versions go from 10 to 10 in just 15 minutes. % Charge to 80%.The company owns 1000 charging stations nationwide, is actively adding more. The company said it aims to add another 500 booster stations by 2023 and have 2,000 charging stations across the country by 2025.
High-tech features
The spacious interior of the Xpeng G9 flagship SUV. Image source: Xiaopeng
The G9 has a new voice assistance system powered by multiple-input multiple-output technology, which means it can respond to commands from all four areas of the cabin within milliseconds. The SUV features Xpeng’s new interactive 3D user interface, which includes a 3D map that renders the vehicle’s surroundings in real time.
The luxury SUV will also include the Xopera, Xpeng’s multimedia system with a total of 28 speakers and vibration units producing 2,250 W of output. For an immersive experience, Xopera uses Dolby Atmos technology to increase seat vibration, alter ambient lighting, and customize fragrances based on the movie you’re watching, the music you’re listening to, or the general atmosphere you’re trying to create.
