In a rare display of camaraderie between automotive rivals, William Li, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Nio, purchased an Xpeng X9 MPV, a vehicle from a competing brand. The Xpeng X9 was personally delivered to Li by He Xiaopeng, Xpeng’s chairman and CEO, in Hefei, Anhui province, on May 11, marking Li’s first purchase of a vehicle from another brand in eight years.
The Xpeng X9, launched on January 1, is the flagship model under Xpeng’s SEPA (Smart Electric Platform Architecture) 2.0. Priced starting at RMB 359,800 ($49,800), it is Xpeng’s highest-priced vehicle to date, with deliveries commencing on January 16.
Last December, during Nio’s first range challenge of its 150-kWh semi-solid battery pack, Li expressed to Mr. He over the phone his intention to buy an Xpeng X9 when it became available. Li humorously hoped for a discount, to which Mr. He responded by offering a 50 percent discount, albeit one from his own pocket rather than from Xpeng.
Nio’s current product lineup consists only of sedans and SUVs, lacking an MPV. While Nio’s management stated last November that the company would not launch MPVs based on the current NT 2.0 platform, they did reveal plans for MPVs on the upcoming NT 3.0 platform.
During his visit to Hefei, Mr. He also visited Volkswagen Anhui, coinciding with Li’s visit, and stopped by to deliver the Xpeng X9 to Li. Mr. He humorously mentioned during a visit to a Nio House in Hefei that Xpeng might consider joining Nio’s battery swap system when Nio reaches 5,000-6,000 battery swap stations, highlighting the growing cooperation among EV manufacturers in China.
Notably, Volkswagen announced on July 26, 2023, that it would invest about $700 million to acquire about 4.99 percent of Xpeng, with plans to co-develop two Volkswagen-branded EV models for the mid-size car market in China. This collaboration reflects the evolving dynamics within the Chinese EV market, where partnerships and alliances are increasingly common among automakers.
