All around the world, carmakers are backing off from their full electrification plans at an alarming rate. We first saw Fiat put an engine in the latest 500e, and over in China, smart is preparing to launch its first combustion-engined car since 2020. But it looks like falling EV demand is about to claim its biggest scalp yet.
That’s right – you’re looking at an Xpeng G6 at a petrol station, and it’s not there to pump its tyres. These spyshots, which have been shared on Weibo, show a prototype being filled with dinosaur juice through a flap on the left side of the car (the EV’s charging port is on the right side). Apart from that there are precious few identifying cues, such as possibly a more open lower grille to feed more air into the ICE – the same approach Fiat has taken for the new 500.
Such a revelation tallies with a 36Kr report that claimed the hitherto electric-only Xpeng was delving into range-extended EVs, with the X9 MPV set to receive the system first. The cars will supposedly still come on an 800-volt architecture for super-fast DC charging (“5C” charging is claimed, meaning the power figure is five times the battery capacity) and a pure electric range of 400 km. With the range-extending ICE, a total range of 1,400 km is being bandied about.
The REEV model will fill out the facelifted G6 range, launched in April with minor visual tweaks such as a full-width front light bar, new wheels and a small ducktail rear spoiler. Inside, there’s a larger 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen, steering wheel capacitive buttons (boo) and not much else.
The biggest changes are mechanical in nature. Still powered by a 296 PS/450 Nm motor at the back, the G6 now gets lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries across the range – the base 68.5 kWh unit is larger than before and has a CLTC range of 625 km, while the 80.8 kWh long-range pack is smaller than the old nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery and delivers a range of 725 km. The car also introduces the aforementioned “5C” charging (so, around 400 kW then) to top up the battery from 10 to 80% in just 12 minutes.
GALLERY: Xpeng G6 facelift at Auto Shanghai 2025
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