Xiaopeng He on EV strategy
From XPENG G9 LAUNCH EVENT · · XPENG
“We debated extensively among ourselves at the early product planning stage. Our big reservation for producing a BEV was that it was easier to refill a PHEV and REV at that time. Eventually we decided to take the right but most difficult path producing BEVs. We knew that it would be a challenge to produce BEVs because range and charging were both major hurdles at that time but we chose to rise to the challenge and not take shortcuts.”
On , Xiaopeng He, Co-Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at XPeng, spoke about EV strategy during XPENG G9 LAUNCH EVENT on XPENG.
About Xiaopeng He
Xiaopeng He, co-founder, chairman and CEO of XPeng, has been active in several product launches and press events over the past two months. At the April 2026 Beijing Auto Show, He announced the company’s transformation from an automaker to the XPeng Group, stating that the group will pursue "differentiated, high-quality development" in AI and physical AI. He cited XPeng’s European average selling price of €45,000 as an example of the company’s brand elevation, and presented sales data showing that after the release of XPeng’s second-generation VLA (Vision-Language-Action) autonomous driving system, orders across the vehicle lineup increased 118% month-over-month. At the launch of the XPeng GX full-size flagship SUV on May 20, 2026, He described the vehicle as "a car built for ourselves and for our friends," and emphasized safety features such as a "720-degree six-fold collision test" and an aviation-grade six-fold safety redundancy system. The GX offers both pure electric and extended-range options at a limited-time price range of RMB 269,800 to RMB 349,800. He also oversaw