New Xpeng G9 shows how aggressive China's premium EV market has become with a huge range of luxury features for a wildly low price

The Xpeng G9 is one of many luxury vehicles that Chinese automakers are launching (almost) globally.

It isn’t available in the US yet, but it is in some European markets – and local brands aren’t too happy about it.

The reason for this is quite simple: the G9 gives you plenty of bang for your buck.

But, speaking of MSRPs, there’s a bit of a ‘geographical’ caveat to consider.

China’s secret weapon

There are several reasons why Chinese automakers are on the rise, but one element in particular doesn’t get enough attention.

Broadly speaking, Chinese manufacturers are – using a buzz term that’s no longer as popular as it used to be – vertically integrated.

In general, European and American manufacturers have far too many third parties to consider.

There’s the company that builds your transmission, the company that builds your chassis, the one that does the infotainment screen – and so on.

Then you have to physically ship the cars and, finally, sell them.

Hardly any of that is vertically integrated.

In China, it’s the other way around.

Chinese manufacturers tend to do everything in-house, which saves time, money and headaches.

BYD is probably the most spectacular example: they literally build, own and operate the very ships they use to transport their vehicles.

Xpeng is not that different, which explains why the G9 is so impressive.

The Xpeng G9 feels like being on a plane in business class

Like other Chinese automakers, Xpeng does not operate its own ships and generally outsources batteries, but everything else is built in-house, which explains how and why they have the R&D resources to come up with this.

The Xpeng G9 is a luxury SUV that’s around five meters long – roughly the same as a Porsche Cayenne or maybe a Lucid Gravity.

The interior is designed to make you feel like you’re in business class on a plane.

You’ve got cupholders for the inevitable Champagne flute, a mini-fridge, and seats that lie (almost) flat.

This model is exactly the sort of car you will not want to drive because that’s not the best seat.

Instead, it’s a vehicle you enjoy best as a rear passenger.

Also, thanks to its 575-horsepower powertrain (in the range-topping variant) and 360-mile range, you’ll get wherever you’re going fast and smooth enough, and it won’t take long to charge it and drive back.

The only problem is the price tag.

In China, the G9 starts at $31,000, which makes it super affordable.

However, that MSRP will never make it to the US.

The G9 is already available in select European markets, but the price is higher.

In Norway, which isn’t in the EU, it starts at around €45,000-$52,000, which is not too terrible.

However, in places like Germany or the Netherlands, it costs somewhere in the range of €58,000-$68,000 – and that’s just for the base model.

Whether it arrives in the US at all remains to be seen.

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