Xpeng says Tesla, not BYD, is its real rival

Xpeng Australia has announced a slew of caller models, plans to treble its existent trader count, and a rollout of charging infrastructure and artificial quality (AI) technology, but says it’s not going aft Chinese rival BYD.

Speaking to media including CarExpert successful Melbourne, Xpeng caput of planetary improvement Alex Tang said the precocious income of BYD – which has posted phenomenal maturation successful Australia, becoming the number-two marque present – are not the brand’s target.

“We truly don't deliberation BYD is our competitor, not lone successful China but globally, due to the fact that we bash person antithetic positioning. Not lone the marque but besides the products, and the customers are ever different.”

Xpeng announced a planned rollout of caller models, including some electrical vehicles (EVs) and ‘Kunpeng’ extended-range electrical vehicles (EREVs), arsenic good arsenic plans for ultra-fast charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) infrastructure investment.

In a keynote address, Xpeng vice president and president Brian Gu besides announced plans for the brand’s Iron humanoid robot, acceptable for planetary merchandise successful 2027, and confirmed the Xpeng Flying Car and Robotaxi are planned for Australia erstwhile regulations allow.

Together, these signifier what the automaker describes arsenic its ‘Physical AI ecosystem’. It explained Physical AI arsenic utilizing AI exertion to make question beyond the integer world.

“I deliberation Australia is archetypal of each a ample market, the size marketplace is astir apt the 4th largest right-hand driving marketplace successful the world, and besides I deliberation it's a marketplace that fits precise good with Xpeng philosophy,” said Mr Gu.

The Iron humanoid robot and Flying Car were touted astatine the marque lawsuit successful Melbourne, wherever Mr Gu and Mr Tang explained the company’s section ambitions, which disagree from those of measurement marque BYD.

“We are truly trying to pb the improvement of the AI car segments that proviso the champion exertion from the planetary to the section customers,” Mr Tang said.

“Globally, present of people Tesla is 1 of the competitors. I accidental this because, successful presumption of the exertion that Brian introduced, we see [Tesla] arsenic 1 of the tier 1 players globally.”

While Xpeng Australia wouldn’t stock a circumstantial income people oregon ranking it hopes to achieve, Mr Tang made it wide the extremity isn’t needfully to outsell Tesla.

In immoderate caller months, the marque has outsold a globally resurgent Tesla successful Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands, arsenic good arsenic successful its location marketplace of China.

In Europe, its lineup includes the G6 sold here, arsenic good arsenic the L03 tiny SUV and X9 radical mover, some confirmed for Australia aboriginal successful 2026.

“We bash person immoderate markets wherever we outsell Tesla, frankly speaking, and immoderate markets, of course, Tesla has much sales. But astatine the extremity of the day, what we are trying to make is affordable technology.

“‘Physical AI exertion for all’ is our slogan, but it's besides our ngo that we privation to much customers entree to the marque to the latest technology. So, we are not lone targeting immoderate niche market, but mainstream customers that tin spend the champion technology.”

Mr Tang said Xpeng’s European operations person attracted customers from brands including BMW, Audi and Lexus, with the second announcing an ecosystem of its ain astatine the Tokyo centrifugal amusement successful October 2025.

“We are rather blessed that we tin we tin person the customers comes from not lone the Lexus premium brands but besides the Tesla brand,” Mr Tang said.

“But we are creating a caller positioning and a caller worth for the customers … we are truly creating a conception and trying to beryllium a person successful the caller segment. This is our mission.”

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