(Motorsport-Total.com/Motor1) – At the IAA in September 2025, it was on display at the Open Space on Munich’s Ludwigstraße, but was probably noticed more by the general trade fair public than by the specialist press. But that is about to change, because the large electric van is scheduled to hit the German market in the summer of 2026.
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It is a 5.32-meter-long behemoth with a choice of six or seven seats. The car features 800-volt technology for fast charging and is said to offer “full equipment,” including rear-wheel steering and air suspension. The newcomer is expected to be in stores in June 2026, Xpeng announced at an evening event on Tuesday (February 24) in Munich.
In China, the Xpeng X9 has been available since 2024, but pre-orders for the 2026 model year version only began in January. Presumably, the new version will be introduced in Germany right away.
According to CarNewsChina, there is a front-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive version in China. Front-wheel drive in the large class is very unusual; this solution may have to do with gaining more space in the rear – and space is, of course, always the priority in a van. It is striking that the charging port is located at the rear – this necessitates long cables to the inverter and the motor installed at the front.
The front-wheel drive model delivers 235 kW and 450 Newton meters of torque in China, while the all-wheel drive model additionally features a 135 kW and 190 Nm electric motor on the rear axle, resulting in a system output of 370 kW. Both versions receive the same giant battery: it stores 110 kWh and has a “ternary” chemistry, which usually means it is an NMC battery. The energy storage comes from the Chinese manufacturer CALB and is said to enable ranges of 665 to 750 km – albeit according to the less demanding Chinese CLTC standard.
Photo gallery: Xpeng X9 (2026)
The battery can be filled at a charging rate of 5C, which means that a charging process takes about a “fifth of an hour” or 12 minutes. However, Xpeng refers to the usual charging range from 10 to 80 percent. The same charging rate of 5C was mentioned for the Xpeng G6 and G9 of the 2026 model year, which of course have LFP batteries and less storage capacity.
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The new Xpeng X9 is 5,316 mm long, 1,988 mm wide, and 1,785 mm high. The wheelbase of 3,160 mm is another 23 mm longer than the predecessor model. The rear-wheel steering results in a turning circle with a radius of only 5.4 meters. For comparison: the VW Golf has a turning circle of around 11 meters, i.e., about a 5.5 m radius. Xpeng is also proud of the safety: the vehicle is said to show stable driving behavior even after a tire failure at 160 km/h and in wet conditions. The automatic emergency braking and emergency steering system works up to 130 km/h.
Inside, there are three rows of seats as standard; the system with electrically folding furniture allows for configurations with four, five, six, or seven seats in China. As a four-seater, there is said to be space for 2,514 liters of luggage. Standard equipment also includes active noise cancellation and “zero-gravity seats,” whose backrests can be reclined far back and which offer a leg rest. The seats also feature massage, ventilation, and heating functions. Six exterior colors are available in China: in addition to white, black, gray, and silver, there are a blue and a purple.
More on Xpeng:
Xpeng P7+: Large 800-volt sedan can be ordered from 46,600 euros
Xpeng G9 (2026): How fast does the China SUV really charge?
The bottom line
For Xpeng, the six- or seven-seater X9 is an addition, as the G9 only has five seats. The same applies to the German electric market, as there are currently few electric vans in this country. Therefore, the X9 will likely compete with seven-seater SUVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 9, the Kia EV9, or the upcoming Skoda Peaq, perhaps even with the Lucid Gravity. Electric transporters like the long version of the VW ID. Buzz or the new Mercedes VLE are also likely to be among the rivals.
Large volumes are not to be expected, but for a small brand like Xpeng, which sold just under 3,000 cars in Germany last year, even a few hundred units are a success.
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Source: CarNewsChina
