Pay Attention, Tesla. China’s Just Built a Genuine Model Y Fighter.

If Tesla is paying attention, the fear starts here. The Xpeng G6 is a new Chinese-made electric SUV that’s aimed squarely at the Model Y, the vehicle that last year accounted for two-thirds of Tesla’s total worldwide sales. Yeah, we’ve heard all the stories about so-called Tesla fighters before. But the Xpeng G6 is different. And Tesla genuinely should be worried.

The G6 is the first vehicle built on Xpeng’s brand-new Smart Electric Platform Architecture (SEPA) 2.0, which is scheduled to underpin a host of new Xpeng vehicles through the end of this decade. The company says SEPA 2.0, which incorporates an 800-volt electrical architecture, is expected to shorten the R&D cycles for future models by 20 percent while cutting the cost of integrating advanced driver assistance systems by 75 percent and smart infotainment systems by 85 percent.

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Sizing Up Tesla’s Newest Competitor

A quick tour of the tape measure reveals how tightly matched the G6 and the Model Y are. The Chinese SUV is just a tenth of an inch longer overall and an inch taller than the Tesla and is exactly the same width and rolls on an identical 113.8-inch wheelbase.

The exterior design features good proportions, clean surfaces, and restrained detailing, all of which conspire to give the G6 a subtly sophisticated presence on the road. Despite the relatively fast, almost coupelike C-pillar, the rear seat offers comfortable accommodation for 6-foot-plus adults, with ample headroom and legroom and room for their feet under the front seats. Unlike the Model Y, however, the G6 is not available with a third row.

The G6’s interior design echoes some of the minimalism that’s become a Tesla trademark, but drivers do get a digital instrument panel behind the wheel to complement the 14.9-inch touchscreen at the center of the dash, and the materials used deliver a less grimly austere ambiance than in the Model Y cabin. As in the Tesla, there are, annoyingly, no physical controls for functions such as the climate temperature control, fan speed, or vent direction, but the touchscreen menu is at least reasonably intuitive to work with.

Every G6 is underpinned by Xpeng’s own end-to-end software architecture, Xsmart OS, which supports functions such as Xpeng’s voice-controlled AI assistant, smart navigation, a 3D user interface, and third-party apps. Also standard is the company’s Xpilot 2.5 advanced driver assistance system, which in addition to features such as adaptive cruise control, active lane centering, and active lane change functions, offers various automatic parking functions, and is future-proofed for Level 2.5-plus autonomous driving capability thanks to the G6’s 12 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and five high-definition millimeter-wave radar units.

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Breaking From the Mold

Where the Xpeng G6 clearly diverges from the Tesla Model Y is its impressively high level of standard equipment. In Europe, all G6 models are equipped with 20-inch wheels shod with 255/45 Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires, a panoramic glass roof, a 960-watt audio system with 18 speakers, automatic dual-zone climate control, a heated multifunction leather steering wheel, power heated and ventilated front seats, and two 50-watt wireless phone chargers. The only options available across the range are an electrically deployable tow hitch and the choice of four exterior colors other than the standard white.

The base model, the G6 RWD, has a single, rear-mounted motor that develops 255 hp and 325 lb-ft and is fed by a lithium iron phosphate battery whose net capacity of 66.0 kWh gives it a range under the European WLTP test protocol of 270 miles. The G6 RWD costs the equivalent of about $46,700 in Europe.

Next comes the G6 Long Range RWD, with a single rear-mounted motor rated for 282 hp in Europe and 292 hp in China where MotorTrend editors recently drove and tested this model. The G6 made a fine first impression not just for its unexpectedly quick 5.3-second 0–60-mph time, but also for its stability and composure in a straight line and around our figure-eight handling circuit. The rear-drive G6 is by no means a performance vehicle, and the relatively low-grip surface of the proving grounds made for humble cornering and braking figures, but there’s substance beyond the numbers. Next to a Model Y, you get the sense it received more attention from the dynamics engineers—or maybe those engineers just have their priorities better aligned with our tastes. Where the Model Y’s responsiveness is cranked up to the point that it often feels nervous and darty, the G6 transitions fluidly between acceleration, cornering, and braking.

An 87.5-kWh (net) nickel manganese cobalt lithium-ion battery gives the Long Range RWD a WLTP-certified range of 354 miles, and it retails in Europe for the equivalent of about $54,300. By way of comparison, the cheapest Model Y available in the U.S., the single-motor, rear-drive Long Range, retails for $56,630 when equipped with 20-inch wheels and the misnamed Full Self-Driving pack that gives the American car the closest level of self-parking capability to that available on all G6 models. The mid-spec G6 Long Range RWD is more than a second quicker than Tesla’s claim and has 95 percent of its range.

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Turning Up the Power

The pick of the G6 bunch is the G6 Performance AWD, which adds a 187-hp motor to the front axle to deliver an all-wheel-drive powertrain with a total system output of 469 hp and 487 lb-ft. That’s enough to give it a claimed 0–60-mph acceleration time of under 4.0 seconds. The G6 Performance AWD is fitted with the same 87.5-kWh battery pack as the Long Range RWD, and despite the extra power and a 209-pound increase in weight, it returns a WLTP-rated range of 341 miles.

Next to our $71,360 dual-motor Model Y Long Range long termer, the Xpeng G6 Performance AWD, which retails for the equivalent of about $57,600 in Europe, looks like a bargain. In addition to its high levels of standard equipment, the Xpeng gives you a powertrain with 85 more horses and 111 lb-ft more torque than the Tesla’s. It’s a second quicker to 60 mph and—using like-for-like WLTP numbers—has 3 percent more range. Tesla has nowhere to hide.

Xpeng’s 800-volt electrical architecture, which the company says can accept peak charge rates of 280 kW, means the 87.5-kWh battery can be taken from a 10 percent state of charge to 80 percent in 20 minutes. Even the base model with the LFP battery will accept a peak charge rate of 215 kW. Beyond all that, though, is this: Based on our stint behind the wheel of the G6 Performance AWD in Europe, this Xpeng SUV offers a good blend of performance, ride, handling, and refinement. It’s a thoroughly decent all-rounder to drive.

There are four drive modes: Standard, Eco, Sport, and All-Terrain, the latter of which also activates the standard Hill Descent Control system in addition to optimizing the throttle and brake maps. Four levels of regen are also available, from Low, which replicates the lift-off coast-down of an internal combustion engine vehicle with an automatic transmission, to X-Pedal, which allows one-pedal driving. Annoyingly, the lack of steering wheel paddles means you must use the touchscreen to change the regen levels.

That said, it’s best to leave the G6 Performance AWD in Low regen mode for all but stop-and-go city driving, as this allows it to flow nicely down the road. As you’d expect with 469 hp and 487 lb-ft of instant-on torque, the Xpeng is effortlessly rapid in a straight line, especially in Sport mode, where it gets to its electronically limited 124-mph top speed with surprising alacrity. The blending between regenerative and mechanical braking is smooth and seamless, and overall noise levels are very low.

Although it’s not intended to be overtly sporty, the G6 Performance AWD chassis, which has multilink front and rear suspensions, feels nicely balanced in the twisties, the rear bias of the power and torque outputs and the grip of the Michelin tires helping disguise its 4,673-pound mass through corners. Body motions are tightly controlled by the German-made Sachs shocks, but the overall ride quality is good. (Chinese-market models have a softer suspension setup.)

The weakest link of the G6 Performance AWD is the steering, which feels somewhat inconsistent in Standard mode and doesn’t offer a ton of feel. Switching to Sport brings more consistency to the weighting as you turn the wheel, but you’re then aware of a strong self-centering effect that makes it feel like you’re working against a spring. The good news is this is something that could be cured with a software tweak.

And while we’re talking about steering fixes, ditch the stupidly trendy non-round steering wheel, please, Xpeng. The changes in the radius of the rim make it feel clumsy to use.

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Forbidden Fruit?

There’s nothing in the way the Xpeng G6 Performance AWD drives that couldn’t be software-tuned to suit the tastes of discerning American consumers. The bones are good. It doesn’t feel cheap or compromised in any way.

Of course, the recent announcement by the Biden administration that imported Chinese EVs would be subject to a 100 percent tariff in the U.S. means the Xpeng G6 is not likely to be seen on American roads. But that doesn’t mean Tesla can relax. Although it’s by far the EV market leader here, the U.S. now accounts for little more than 36 percent of Tesla’s total worldwide sales. Europe and, crucially, China, now the world’s largest and most brutally competitive EV market, are key to Tesla’s long-term sales and profit growth. And in those markets, the Model Y—Tesla’s cash cow—now faces a serious rival in the Xpeng G6.

The Tesla Model Y has for some time been the default choice in its segment. No more. The Xpeng G6 is not merely better built than the Tesla in terms of its fit and finish and the quality of its materials, but it also offers more standard equipment and, depending on model, near equal or better performance and range at highly competitive prices. Start paying attention, Elon.

Photos Contribution by Dcar