XPeng's Second-Gen VLA to Roll Out This Month, 2026 X9 BEV Launches from $42,800

March 2 – XPeng held its second-generation VLA experience event, with Chairman He Xiaopeng announcing the rollout of the Vision-Language-Action large model this month. The architecture removes the "language translation" step, achieving a more efficient closed loop from perception to decision-making, improving overall driving efficiency by 23% – capable of recognizing unconventional vehicles, navigating around accidents, and yielding to small animals at night.

The 2026 XPeng X9 BEV launched simultaneously in five trims, priced at RMB 309,800-369,800 (approx. $42,800-51,000). The new BEV offers up to 750km range, comes standard with 800V + 5C ultra-fast charging AI battery, adding 400km range with 8-minute charging; all trims feature the Turing AI chip with 2,250 TOPS effective computing power. Comfort features include standard third-row electric triple-folding seats, 2,514L max storage, zero-gravity seats, Nappa leather, and 27 speakers.

Safety complies with China-EU dual five-star standards, featuring 9 standard airbags including front far-side and second-row cushion airbags. He stated: "XPeng's second-gen VLA is the first version targeting full autonomous driving, iterating at unprecedented speed." Test drives begin March 11 at 732 stores nationwide, with initial user rollout starting late March.

Source: Chengdu Daily No.159 Qinbaoju