The car market is fiercely competitive, with companies competing on price and product, racking their brains to seize market share. When the chips to stimulate sales become scarce, car companies need to have more tracks and seek new ways out.

Recently, some media reported that Xiaopeng Motors' range extender project is gradually becoming clear. The core components have been designated in the first half of this year, and the first range extender car with the internal code name G01 is under full development. It is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2025.

Although range extender technology has been widely criticized in the industry, it cannot be denied that this technology has indeed brought benefits to many car companies. As more and more car companies begin to abandon the single pure electric route and join the army of extended range vehicles, Xiaopeng Motors' strategic adjustment can be a good medicine.

Is an extended range new car on the verge of success?

Unlike directing more topics towards intelligence and AI, adding programs is not a common topic of discussion for Xiaopeng Motors, and there are not many related news releases.

This may be a judgment made by the brand based on market trends. Earlier, He Xiaopeng, the founder of Xiaopeng Motors, explained that Xiaopeng did research the route of extended range, but ultimately gave up because he believed that extended range would soon be eliminated.

He also admitted that giving up the hybrid route and only choosing pure electric is very painful. In the process of converting traditional fuel vehicles to new energy vehicles, hybrid is an inevitable existence with a huge market demand.

Indeed, looking at the current domestic new energy track, range extender has become a hot commodity for car companies to compete in. In addition to NIO, new car makers such as Ideal, Wenjie, Zero Run, Nezha, Xiaomi, etc. have already confirmed or are preparing to sell extended range models.
Faced with such a market cake, Xiaopeng Motors is not indifferent to range extender, on the contrary, it has clearly shown a more proactive pursuit in its attitude this year.
At the first quarter financial report conference this year, He Xiaopeng mentioned that customers have a real demand for hybrid vehicles. From a technical perspective, the difficulty of transitioning from range extender to pure electric is much higher than that of transitioning from pure electric to range extender. The current range extender solutions have encountered many experiential challenges, and "Xiaopeng is also thinking about what the next generation of range extender cars will look like.
For Xiaopeng Motors at present, focusing on range extender should not only be a transitional technical solution, but also able to put forward higher requirements for technology. As the official statement goes, "I hope to lead the industry when it is launched
In other words, what Xiaopeng Motors needs to do is not blindly follow the trend, but to make breakthroughs in range extender technology and stand out in the competition among various car companies.

Subsequently, with the launch of the production of Xiaopeng Huitian Flying Vehicle equipped with Dong'an Power's high-efficiency extended range engine, it is also seen as an important step for Xiaopeng Motors to move towards extended range vehicles. You should know that Dong'an Power was once a supplier of range extender components for Ideal Automobile, with rich relevant experience and technical accumulation.


It is reported that Xiaopeng Motors' first extended range vehicle will be a large SUV with an internal project code of G01. The car will be developed based on the Xiaopeng G9 prototype, mainly targeting the price range of over 200000 yuan. At the same time, the first extended range vehicle will be mass-produced and produced at Xiaopeng Motors' second factory located in Huangpu, Guangzhou.

As for when this new car will be unveiled to the public, it is speculated that the official announcement will be made on next month's "1024 Technology Day", and there should be more details about the new car at that time.

Extended program, another growth curve for Xiaopeng

In fact, from the perspective of practical factors, extended range electric vehicles can better solve the contradiction between safety and range anxiety, and are currently the easiest new energy vehicle models to promote in the market.

Of course, there are two reasons why these car manufacturers choose the "extended range" route: on the one hand, they follow the trend, and on the other hand, they are forced to do so.

According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the wholesale penetration rate of new energy manufacturers in August this year was 48.9%, an increase of 13.3 percentage points compared to the same period last year. In the wholesale structure of new energy in August, pure electric vehicles accounted for 56%, narrow plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 33%, and extended range vehicles accounted for 11%. Compared with the same period last year, the share of pure electric vehicles decreased by 14 percentage points, while the share of extended range vehicles increased by 4 percentage points.

Accurately grasping the development trend of the industry may be what many car companies are doing, and they have gained a lot from it. In the just passed August, the top three of the new forces in car manufacturing were taken by Ideal, Hongmeng Zhixing, and Zero Run. Without exception, all three car companies have deployed extended range models. Especially after experiencing the failure of pure electric MEGA, Ideal has once again relied on the main promotion of range extender to regain its foothold in the sales market.

Compared to others, NIO can be considered the only one in this trend army that focuses on pure circuit lines. From NIO's perspective, shifting towards extended range will become the fatal blow to NIO's promotion of battery swapping mode, so pure electric is NIO's long-term development philosophy.

At present, what Xiaopeng Motors needs to do may be to follow the trend of the new energy vehicle industry and seize the opportunity of range extender like Wenjie and Zero Run.

Overall, Xiaopeng Motors has made significant adjustments in its strategic approach. On the one hand, relying on new pure electric products to take the cost-effective route, taking MONA M03 as the pioneer, and exploring lower prices to gain more market share. According to the official statement, the MONA M03 has exceeded 30000 units in bulk within 48 hours of its launch, breaking the record of 25000 orders for the Xiaopeng G6 within 4 days of its launch. It can be seen that the potential for the MONA M03 to become a hit on the market has been stimulated.

On the other hand, adding extended range products adds an extra track and adopts a dual line layout of pure electric and extended range. Chasing the ultimate form of the automotive industry with higher difficulty, showcasing its "dual carbon" hardcore strength; While raising cash cows, ensure sufficient food and supplies for long-term operations in the rear. The top priority for Xiaopeng Motors is to bet on building consumer favored automotive products through extended range, and seize market share and profits as soon as possible.

Whether it's pure electric or extended range, the ultimate proposition for car companies is to sell cars and strive to survive.