After nearly a decade of building pure electric vehicles, Xpeng is putting a combustion engine into its cars with the X9 PowerX, its first range extended EV. The petrol-electric luxury MPV is set to go on sale in China in the fourth quarter of the year, according to Autohome.
The petrol engine in question is a 1.5 litre Kunpeng turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 150 PS. This is solely to charge the battery – a 63.3 kWh pack that’s slightly smaller than the 84.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) unit found in the X9 Standard Range EV. Mind you, that’s still capable of a pure electric range of 452 km, albeit on China’s wildly optimistic CLTC cycle.
Xpeng says that together with a 60 litre fuel tank, the PowerX is able to deliver a total range of 1,602 km. No details of the electric motor has been released just yet, but expect it to be the same front-mounted one as the EV, making 320 PS (235 KW) and 450 Nm of torque. Strangely, the Autohome article lists two fuel consumption figures of 0.15 and 6.4 litres per 100 km; we’ll assume the latter is with the battery exhausted.
The addition of a petrol mill has thankfully not impinged on the X9’s futuristic space shuttle-inspired design, save for a larger air intake that replaces the body-coloured hexagonal array. This includes an active grille shutter that works with the also-new corner air curtains to cut drag by 22 points, increasing range by 32 km.
The rear bumper also features a body-coloured lower section with a black valence (the inverse of the EV’s, in other words), although the exhaust remains hidden. The new-for-2026 20-inch multi-spoke wheels with Rolls-Royce-style self-righting centre caps have been retained here.
Inside, the changes are similarly minor, with a new steering wheel that centralises 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 colour scheme.
Beyond that, the seven-seater PowerX is identical to the EV version, sporting the same metallic ripple-effect air-con vents, a massive 17.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display, a 21.4-inch roof-mounted rear monitor, a rear fridge and second-row captain’s chairs with one-touch “zero gravity” recline. The car also gets the China-market updates introduced for the 2026 model year, including physical rear side window switches in lieu of capacitive ones.
Xpeng claims the X9 PowerX is a global model and has already tested the powertrain in 20 countries (including in Italy at the famous Stelvio Pass), racking up over 20 million in mileage. This opens the door for it to be introduced in other markets such as Malaysia – the latter likely once CKD local assembly starts. Would you like to see this car here? Sound off in the comments.
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Source: Xpeng X9 PowerX – brand’s first REEV, 1.5T, 0.15 l/100 km FC, 452 km CLTC EV range, 1,602 km total
