Chinese BEV wave to continue with Xpeng in Q4
BY PETER BARNWELL | 10th May 2024
ANOTHER Chinese automotive brand is scheduled to kick off Down Under as Xpeng announces it will be “expanding” into Australia before the end of 2024 under the stewardship of “exclusive partner” TrueEV in time offering a range of luxurious and technologically advanced battery electric vehicles (BEV).
TrueEV will be responsible for importing, distributing and retailing Xpeng vehicles in Australia starting with the G6 SUV (pictured) in the fourth quarter of this year.
Based in Guangzhou, China with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Shanghai and Silicon Valley, Xpeng was established in 2014 and describes itself as a “mobility company”.
The car-maker claims to have industry-leading R&D facilities producing vehicles with superior safety, electric efficiency, and on-road performance to markets across the globe.
As is the case with many Chinese BEV manufacturers, Xpeng says it is “constantly working to advance its core technology offering, including autonomous driving capabilities, a scalable ‘Smart Electric Platform Architecture 2.0’ platform and captivating infotainment systems.
TrueEV is a private company registered with the Australian Business Register as active from August last year and is headquartered at Barangaroo in Sydney with Jason Clarke as CEO.
Mr Clarke is a “financial services and technology executive, director and investor with a strong record of building revenue and earnings in highly competitive markets both in Australia and internationally”.
On its website, TrueEV is described as a “forward-thinking company dedicated to simplifying the introduction of electric vehicles for our customers”.
“By eliminating barriers that often deter customers, we believe we can accelerate the transition to clean and eco-friendly transportation, creating a greener future for all.
It has numerous business arms including auto retail platform Carqu, charging systems and accessories supplier Chargequ, emergency BEV charging service PulseEV, BEV-specific aftercare, finance and insurance providers Evolve Warranty, Evolve Capital and Evolve Protect, as well as electric scooter and e-bike retailer EVergreen Bike and new-vehicle buying agency Autosearch.
Another branch, EVrent, is in the development stage.
The plan is for True EV to bring a range of Xpeng models to Australia with branded showrooms and end-to-end customer support throughout the buying process.
Mr Clarke said: "We are beyond excited to announce our exclusive partnership with Xpeng to bring to the market a highly intelligent, stylish and technologically advanced electric vehicle that will excite and accelerate the adoption of EVs in Australia.”
He went on to describe Xpeng as “the highest quality intelligent EV that we could identify after an exhaustive search”.
“We are confident that Xpeng’s product range and design features are ideally suited to the Australian market.
"This collaboration represents a significant leap forward in the Australian range of intelligent EVs available and will be supported with the roll out of superior charging technology and capability."
Xpeng is in an expansion phase, having recently announced strategic partnerships across the Asia Pacific region including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.
It has also recently partnered with Volkswagen Group for a rollout of next-generation BEVs to enhancing its global positioning.
Xpeng’s general manager of international markets Alex Tang said the TrueEV partnership was “recognised as a significant step forward in our global expansion strategy”.
“Our vision, values and unwavering commitment to superior quality aligns perfectly. TrueEV’s experience and local insight makes this the natural and forward-thinking next step in our expansion plan.
"By entering new markets strategically and offering a range of EV models tailored to local customer needs, we aim to solidify our brand position as a leading player in the smart EV sector on a global scale.”
TrueEV will debut Xpeng’s G6 SUV model in Australia by Q4, 2024. Developed for global markets, the G6 is underpinned by Xpeng’s SEPA 2.0 platform that will provide the foundation for future production models.
