XPeng's L03 Pre-Sales Open in New Zealand as Licensing and Robotics Bet Takes Shape
Published on 09/24/2026 at 06:50 | Editorial boerse-global.de
XPeng has kicked off pre-sales for its compact L03 SUV in New Zealand, extending a push into Pacific markets that now runs alongside a broader effort to reposition the Chinese manufacturer as a technology supplier rather than a pure automaker.
Four variants will reach New Zealand buyers, with pricing starting at NZD 49,990 for the PowerX range-extender and the rear-wheel-drive standard-range battery version. The all-wheel-drive Ultra tops the lineup at NZD 64,990. Customer deliveries are slated to begin in November.
Driver-assistance hardware splits the range
Overseas buyers face a sharper equipment divide than the one XPeng originally outlined for its home market. The advanced computing architecture built around three Turing chips, delivering a combined 2,250 TOPS, is reserved exclusively for the priciest Ultra trim. Only that version is slated to receive the NGP driver-assistance feature via an over-the-air software update from 2027, contingent on local regulatory approval. The cheaper variants fall back on the more conventional XPILOT system, with no upgrade path on offer.
Every trim does share a common baseline, however: a 15.6-inch central display, the XOS 6 operating system, and heated and ventilated front seats.
The PowerX variant reflects XPeng's widening powertrain strategy. A 1.5-liter gasoline engine serves purely as a generator for a 37.2-kilowatt-hour lithium iron phosphate battery, with propulsion handled entirely by the electric motor.
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A quarter that shows where the money is going
Vehicle exports remain the company's central earnings driver, yet the second quarter of 2026 laid bare the structural strain on the core business — and pointed to where the growth is actually coming from. Total revenue reached 19.74 billion yuan, while the vehicle segment contributed 17.05 billion yuan, a modest year-on-year gain. Service and other revenue told a different story, nearly doubling year on year to 2.70 billion yuan. Margins in that segment sit well above those of vehicle sales. Even so, XPeng still reported a net loss for the quarter.
That gap is driving a strategic pivot toward licensing. Rather than selling only finished cars, XPeng now wants to sell the intelligence underneath them: electronic architectures, driver-assistance software, the smart cockpit, and its in-house Turing AI chip.
The foundation for that push was laid through its partnership with Volkswagen, which in July 2023 paid USD 700 million for a 4.99 percent stake in the Chinese company. The jointly developed technology features in the ID. UNYX 08, which carries an 800-volt architecture and Level-2 assistance. XPeng now intends to offer the same technology to other brands, component suppliers, and developers, and according to Reuters it has already made contact with potential partners. The aim is to lift high-margin software revenue instead of grinding through price battles at home and abroad.
Robots as the next margin story
The ambitions stretch well beyond road traffic. XPeng this week demonstrated its IRON humanoid robot, highlighting capabilities including autonomous navigation, multilingual interaction, and identity memory. Mass production is targeted for the end of 2026, initially for deployment in the group's own stores and campuses, before worldwide delivery begins in 2027.
Chief executive He Xiaopeng has been explicit about the hope attached to the program: returns from humanoid robots could potentially exceed those of the vehicle business. On a partner conference in Guangzhou, management signed binding agreements with suppliers for joint modules and actuators to prepare series production of IRON by year-end.
The groundwork extends to hardware as well. A little over a week ago, XPeng opened its own production line for humanoid robots.
Market skepticism persists
Investors have greeted the technological repositioning with restraint. The stock closed at EUR 9.06 yesterday, leaving it just 2.8 percent above its 52-week low. Since the start of the year, the shares have shed 50 percent, a decline that reflects lingering doubt about the losses and the punishing competitive environment.
The transformation from EV maker to a broader AI group carries substantial upfront costs. Should XPeng succeed in establishing software and robotics licensing as a dependable, high-margin revenue stream, it could find its way out of the automotive margin trap sooner than many of its rivals.
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