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Electric & new energy vehicles
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Chinese EV maker Xpeng eyes Australia’s right-hand-drive market, forms partnership with local car distributor TrueEV

  • Guangzhou-based carmaker also aims to sell right-hand-drive models in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia
  • News comes as an escalating price war in mainland China squeezes profit margins

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He Xiaopeng, CEO of Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng, speaks during a launch event at the Beijing Auto Show in Beijing on April 25, 2024. Photo: AFP
Daniel Renin Shanghai
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) builder Xpeng is revving up its effort to enter right-hand-drive markets overseas, signing a partnership with an Australian car distributor just weeks after revealing plans to sell such cars in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
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The company announced on Thursday that it had formed an exclusive partnership with importer, distributor and retailer TrueEV, which plans to display Xpeng’s G6 SUV in showrooms starting in the fourth quarter. The companies did not say when the EV would be available to Australian customers.

Guangzhou-based Xpeng announced last month that it plans to start selling right-hand-drive versions of the G6 and the X9 multipurpose vehicle in Hong Kong during the third quarter – its first offering of such vehicles worldwide.

“The partnership with TrueEV in Australia is recognised as a significant step forward in our global expansion strategy,” Alex Tang, Xpeng’s general manager of international markets, said in a statement. “TrueEV’s experience and local insight makes this the natural and forward-thinking next step in our expansion plan.”

As part of the deal, sales of Xpeng’s intelligent vehicles in Australia will be supported with a roll-out of Xpeng’s charging technology, said Jason Clarke, CEO of TrueEV.

Attendees look at an Xpeng X9 on display at the Guangzhou Auto Show in Guangzhou, China, on November 17, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg
Attendees look at an Xpeng X9 on display at the Guangzhou Auto Show in Guangzhou, China, on November 17, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg
Xpeng, partly owned by Volkswagen Group, is upping the ante in overseas markets as an escalating price war in mainland China, the world’s largest EV market, is squeezing profit margins.
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