Last week, Volkswagen entered into a deal with Xpeng. VW’s subsidiary will receive a 4.99% stake in the Chinese startup by paying 5.05 billion yuan ($706 million). In addition, the German side will be able to use Xpeng technologies, namely, gain access to the SEPA platform. Two new Volkswagen models with Xpeng will appear by 2026.
Interestingly, Xpeng will give Volkswagen documentation for the two-year-old SEPA platform, while the startup’s newest models are built on the modernized SEPA 2.0 architecture. The fundamental difference is the chassis with aluminum subframes. However, the “old” chassis also has an 800-volt electrical system, air suspension and the ability to use an autopilot with lidars.
Two new Volkswagen products will be technically close to the Xpeng G9, that is, we are talking about large cars with a solid set of options and not a budget price. For ultra-cheap electric vehicles, Volkswagen will develop the platform independently, but will involve Chinese suppliers and engineers.
So far, the partnership between Volkswagen and Xpeng is limited to China, but in the future, models with a unified filling may become “global”. In the near future, we can expect other unexpected moves from the German concern, because recently the boss of the brand publicly admitted the uncompetitiveness of Volkswagen in its current form.
New Chinese electric cars
