After nearly a decade of building purely electric vehicles, Xpeng is putting an internal combustion engine in its cars with the X9 PowerX, its first extended-range EV. The petrol-electric luxury MPV is scheduled to go on sale in China in the fourth quarter of the year Autohome.
The petrol engine in question is a 1.5-litre Kunpeng turbocharged four-cylinder engine with an output of 150 hp. This is solely for charging the battery – a 63.3kWh pack that’s slightly smaller than the 84.5kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) unit found in the X9 Standard Range EV. Mind you, it still has a pure electric range of 452 km, albeit according to China’s hugely optimistic CLTC cycle.
Xpeng says that together with a 60 liter fuel tank, the PowerX can deliver a total range of 1,602 km. No details about the electric motor have been released yet, but we expect it to be the same front-mounted motor as the EV, producing 320 hp (235 kW) and 450 Nm of torque. Strangely enough, the Autohome article mentions two fuel consumption figures of 0.15 and 6.4 liters per 100 km; we assume that the latter happens when the battery is empty.
The addition of a gas mill thankfully hasn’t affected the X9’s futuristic space shuttle-inspired design, aside from a larger air intake replacing the body-colored hexagonal array. This includes an active grille shutter that works with the also new corner air curtains to reduce drag by 22 points, increasing range by 20 miles (32 km).
The rear bumper also features a body-colored lower section with a black valence (in other words, the reverse of the EV’s), although the exhaust remains hidden. The 20-inch multi-spoke wheels with Rolls-Royce style self-righting center caps have been retained here.
Inside, the changes are similarly minor, with a new steering wheel that centralizes the Xpeng logo and adds a 360-degree camera shortcut button and a ‘Mode’ switch (presumably for the REEV powertrain), plus ayous wood trim and a rose-brown and white color scheme.
Otherwise, the seven-seat PowerX is identical to the EV version, with the same ripple-effect metal air vents, a huge 17.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display, a 21.4-inch roof-mounted rear monitor, a rear refrigerator and second-row captain’s chairs with one-touch ‘zero’ gravity’. The car also gets the Chinese market updates introduced for the 2026 model year, including physical switches for the rear side windows instead of capacitive switches.
Xpeng claims the X9 PowerX is a global model and has already tested the powertrain in 20 countries (including Italy at the famous Stelvio Pass), with a mileage of over 20 million. This opens the door for introduction into other markets such as Malaysia – the latter likely once local assembly of CKD begins. Would you like to view this car here? Sound off in the comments.
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