XPeng teases the new GX electric SUV

XPeng gave the world a better look at its newest flagship vehicle. The car is called the XPeng GX, though many people still know it by its code name, G01. The GX is a massive, six-seat SUV designed to sit at the very top of the company's lineup. XPeng shared new photos of the car on social media this week, showing it off in grey and gold. The timing of these photos was no accident - they arrived exactly one day before their rival, Nio, planned to reveal its own new flagship, the ES9.

The first thing anyone notices about the XPeng GX is its unmistakable looks. If you squint your eyes, you might think you are looking at a Range Rover. It has a very flat, upright side profile, and XPeng says the design is meant for the "AI era," but let's be honest - it looks like they took a very popular British SUV and gave it a high-tech makeover. The new flagship EV is built on a brand-new SEPA 3.0 platform.

One of the most interesting things about the XPeng GX is that it gives buyers two ways to power it. Some people want pure electric cars, so XPeng offers a BEV version. For those who still worry about finding a charger on long trips, there is an EREV version. This model has a 1.5-liter gasoline engine under the hood, but that engine only acts like a portable generator to charge the battery while you drive. It is basically an EV with a built-in backup plan.

When it comes to speed and power, the GX is no slouch. The battery-only version offers both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive and it can reach a top speed of 124 mph. The EREV version uses two motors to make sure the car stays moving even when the road gets tough. Some people might find it funny to put a tiny 1.5-liter engine in such a huge car, but it serves its purpose perfectly as a battery charger.

Size is where the XPeng GX really stands out. It is a full-size SUV that measures 207.3 inches long and it has a 122.6 inches wheelbase. All that space means the people inside have a lot of room to stretch out. It has six seats, and XPeng promises the interior will be just as comfortable as their X9 minivan. It is designed to feel less like a car and more like a moving living room for wealthy families.

The technology inside this car is where things get a bit wild. The GX gets four "Turing" computer chips, which provide 3,000 TOPS of computing power. XPeng is using all that power to test Level 4 autonomous driving, with the car being designed to drive itself in almost every situation without human help. It even uses "steer-by-wire" technology.

Driving a giant SUV can usually feel like steering a boat, but XPeng added a trick to fix that. The GX has rear-wheel steering and when you turn, the back wheels move a little bit, too. This helps the long vehicle turn in tight circles, making it much easier to park. Between the smart chips and the rear-wheel steering, XPeng is calling this car a "super intelligent entity."

The XPeng GX is not going to be cheap - it is expected to cost between RMB 400,000 and RMB 500,000. That is roughly $58,560 to $73,200 at current exchange rates. The GX is a big step up from the G9 SUV, which starts at RMB 248,800. XPeng is clearly moving into the premium luxury market. The company wants to steal customers away from companies like Nio and even traditional brands like Mercedes or BMW.

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