XPeng L03 lands at $49,990, and the range-extender costs no more than the EV

XPeng has priced its L03 for New Zealand from $49,990, with a range-extender version at the same money and a 520km WLTP Long Range EV at $54,990.

That puts the L03 Long Range $12,910 under the Tesla Model Y RWD ($67,900) with 54km more claimed range, and level with the Leapmotor C10 on price. The entry car matches the Geely EX5 Complete and BYD Atto 3 Essential at $49,990, and sits $10,000 under XPeng’s own G6 Standard Range.

The four-variant line-up was announced at a Gold Coast launch by XPeng Australia and New Zealand head of marketing and creativity Damian Royce. Battery electric models are the RWD Standard Range ($49,990), RWD Long Range ($54,990) and AWD Performance ($64,990). The fourth, the PowerX Long Range, is the range-extender at $49,990. An XPeng NZ representative says first arrivals are expected in November. Registrations of interest open in Australia first, with New Zealand to follow shortly.

The PowerX joins the Leapmotor C10 REEV and Forthing’s range-extender models in a growing local field. It uses XPeng’s Kunpeng system: the electric motor always drives the wheels, and a petrol engine works only as a generator to recharge the battery when needed. XPeng quotes 956 to 1,017km of combined range.

Royce frames it as an answer to practical rather than emotional objections. “People want the smooth, low cost experience of electric, but not everyone can charge at home,” he says, pointing to the South Island’s long distances between towns. The pitch is the same electric drive character with a different energy pathway.

Pure electric range spans 440 to 520km WLTP across the three EV variants. The Long Range reaches 100km/h in 6.6 seconds and the AWD Performance in 4.5 seconds. DC charging from 10 to 80% takes around 20 minutes.

Unlike the 800-volt G6, the L03 runs a 400-volt architecture, which is where some of the cost saving comes from. European versions of the car peak at 193kW on the smaller pack and 236kW on the larger one, so the 20-minute claim is competitive for the price rather than class-leading.

Efficiency is helped by a 0.228 drag coefficient on a body 4,650mm long, 1,920mm wide and 1,600mm tall, riding a 2,850mm wheelbase. An 18-inch low-drag wheel is offered alongside 20-inch alloys.

Inside, the 15.6-inch screen runs XPeng’s XOS 6 software, the first with Google Maps integrated into the native navigation. XPeng says it plans charging stops along the route and shows a single route across the driver display, centre screen and head-up display. Voice control handles natural language, and an automation feature lets owners set conditional routines, such as warming the seats when the temperature drops below 10 degrees. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are included.

Standard kit includes a head-up display, a 20-speaker audio system with active noise cancellation, V2L, heated and ventilated front seats, a 102-litre frunk, a rear storage drawer and a 539-litre boot. XPeng counts 37 storage spaces, plus modular cargo hooks, magnetic mounts and a quarter-inch camera thread. Massage, power lumbar and memory seats come on some variants. A roof rack interface is standard and a manual tow bar optional.

XPilot driver assistance at launch covers adaptive cruise, lane centring, lane change assist, traffic sign recognition and intelligent parking assistance with 360-degree cameras. XPeng’s NGP system with VLA 2.0 software is due in Australia and New Zealand in 2027, and Royce says local calibration testing is already under way. In Europe, NGP is limited to variants fitted with XPeng’s Turing chips, and XPeng has not yet said which New Zealand trims will support it.

Safety hardware includes seven airbags, driver monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and a stability system XPeng has tested through tyre blowouts at up to 180km/h. No ANCAP rating is published yet.

Warranty runs seven years with unlimited kilometres, plus seven years of roadside assistance for private buyers and eight years or 160,000km on the battery.

The L03 becomes XPeng NZ’s third model after the G6 and X9, with the G9L due by year’s end and the L05 in early 2027. It was confirmed for New Zealand in July, and XPeng registered 28 vehicles here in August.