A spy video shows that Xpeng may be testing an MPV codenamed H93, which is expected to be released in the second half of 2023.
The new models to be launched by Xpeng Motors in 2023 appears to include an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) model in addition to an SUV that will compete with the Model Y.
Auto blogger @理想嘉-大D shared a video on Weibo today showing a camouflage-wrapped MPV with Xpeng's family-style headlight design undergoing road tests.
"Is this Xpeng's MPV to be released next year under the code name H93?" the blogger wrote.
In the comments section, a Weibo user pointed out that the model should be Xpeng's, considering that the video was shot just a few kilometers away from the electric vehicle maker's factory in Guangzhou.
Although the model is tightly wrapped in camouflage, its headlights have a run-through design that is consistent with all of Xpeng's models currently on sale -- the G9, P7 and G3i.
In a conference call with analysts after announcing its third-quarter earnings on November 30, Xpeng management said the company now has three model platforms, including the completed E platform, and the third-generation F and H platforms scheduled for completion next year, laying the technical foundation for product upgrades and iterations.
Xpeng currently has two platforms, David and Edward, of which G3i and P5 are based on the David platform, while P7 and G9 are based on the Edward platform.
In March, Shanghai-listed Bomin Electronics (SHA: 603936) said in an announcement that its Shenzhen subsidiary had become a parts supplier for Xpeng's F30 model as well as the E38 model.
The announcement implies that Xpeng was already building its next model, codenamed F30. The E38 model is Xpeng's flagship SUV, the G9, which was launched in September.
Xpeng management had mentioned in an August conference call that the company would launch two new platforms next year and they would support the development and manufacture of at least six B- and C-segment vehicles.
The company will launch a B-segment car in the first half of next year that will take on Tesla's Model Y, Xpeng management said in a late-August call.
Xpeng will also launch a C-segment car in the second half of next year to bring an ultimate experience to a customer base that needs more space and comfort, its management previously said.
Xpeng's model codenamed F30 is now widely seen as a new SUV that could be called the G7, while a new model for its H platform is expected to be an MPV codenamed H93.
The models based on these platforms will share a large percentage of the powertrain, intelligent driving system, chassis and electrical and electronic architecture, as well as the corresponding supply chain and manufacturing capabilities, Xpeng management said on November 30.
No further information is available on Xpeng's first MPV model, but the segment is becoming increasingly crowded.
Dongfeng Motor's Voyah, BYD's Denza and Geely's Zeekr have all launched their MPVs.
At the end of July, images circulating on several WeChat groups as well as Weibo suggested that Li Auto may be building an electric MPV.
It is worth noting that Nio, which has an increasingly extensive model matrix, has no plans to launch a similar product anytime soon.
Nio has been asked several times in the past two years whether it plans to launch an MPV, and the company has given negative answers.
In a conference call following the announcement of third-quarter earnings on November 10, Nio was asked the question again, and its founder, chairman and CEO William Li said that Nio has no plans to launch an MPV in the near future.
MPVs are a very small segment of the passenger car section compared to sedans and SUVs.
From January to October, wholesale sales of all passenger cars in China were 18.89 million units, of which only 754,000, or 4 percent, were MPVs, according to data previously released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
