Chinese EV maker Xpeng reportedly turns to hybrids

Xpeng Motors plans to expand its offerings with the mass production of its first extended-range hybrid electric vehicle (EREV) model, expected in the second half of 2025, people familiar with the matter told local media outlet 36Kr last week. The large sport utility vehicle, codenamed G01, will be based on Xpeng’s nearly five-meter-long G9 crossover, priced from RMB 200,000 ($28,180), and mass-produced in the company’s second factory in Guangzhou, the company’s headquarters, according to the report. The second phase of the factory, which is under construction, will have the annual capacity to produce components for 300,000 cars, including 100,000 hybrid vehicles, according to a company environmental filing released by the Guangzhou Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau last month. China’s retail sales of all-electric vehicles grew 16% year over year to nearly 3.5 million units from January to August, while the combined number of plug-in hybrids and EREVs increased 75.6% to more than 2.5 million units, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). [TechNode reporting, Guangzhou Municipal Ecological Environment Bureau, 36Kr, in Chinese]