On June 13, Zheng Rongqing, product marketing director of Xiaopeng Motors Platform, announced the sales list of high-end pure electric MPVs in May 2025.
Xpeng X9 topped the sales list of high-end pure electric MPVs in that month with 2,767 units, almost the sum of the sales of the second-place Lantu Dreamer EV (1,401 units) and the third-place Zeekr 009 (1,290 units). It is worth noting that this is the second consecutive month that Xiaopeng X9 has won the monthly sales champion of pure electric MPVs.
Some netizens commented that “Xiaopeng X9 is about to take off.” However, is this really the case?
The sales structure is obviously differentiated
According to the sales list, the high-end pure electric MPV market in May 2025 showed an obvious “head concentration and tail sluggish” ladder distribution.
Xpeng X9 took the lead with 2,767 units, followed by Lantu Dreamer EV and Zeekr 009. These three models are the only pure electric MPV models with monthly sales of more than 1,000 units. It was followed by Ideal MEGA (994 units) and Denza D9 EV (869 units).
The sales of the models ranked 6th to 10th on the list shrank significantly, with Yizhen L380 only 68 units, Roewe IMAX8 EV and Volvo EM90 27 and 23 units respectively, and HiPhi V09 sales in the single digit (9 units), which is bleak.
The common point of the models on the list is that the starting price is generally more than 300,000 yuan, with high-end positioning, and the target users are concentrated in middle- and high-income families or corporate customers. In such a high-priced and relatively niche market segment, it is not easy to sell more than 1,000 units. Xiaopeng X9 not only continuously and steadily broke through 2,000 units, but also formed unique advantages in product positioning, technological innovation and user reputation.
Why can Xiaopeng X9 “leave the dust behind” in the high-end pure electric MPV market?
The first is product strength. Based on the 800V high-voltage SiC platform, the Xiaopeng X9 is equipped with an active rear-wheel steering system, an intelligent dual-chamber air suspension, and an AI-assisted driving system. It not only leads in space, comfort, and handling, but also brings efficient energy replenishment and intelligent experience, which is significantly different from the traditional MPV impression.
The second is the continuous strengthening of the intelligent label. The 2025 Xiaopeng X9 is equipped with “Turing AI Intelligent Driving” as standard, supports L2+ high-level intelligent assisted driving, and plans to achieve L3 level landing by the end of the year. It is equipped with the “World Base Model”, a large model with 72 billion parameters independently developed by Xiaopeng, which significantly improves the level of assisted driving. This is the first time in the MPV field.
In addition, the marketing strategy of Xiaopeng X9 is also commendable. High-frequency OTA updates, futuristic interior and exterior designs, and the “magic space” concept focusing on young family users have helped to rapidly expand its brand voice and user coverage.
Is pure electric difficult to sell? Difficult to take off
Although the performance of Xiaopeng X9 is impressive, looking at the entire new energy MPV market, pure electric MPVs are not having a good time.
Compared with another broader May new energy MPV retail sales list (including plug-in hybrid, extended-range and pure electric models), although Xiaopeng X9 still ranked fifth with 2,767 units, the most eye-catching performance in the overall market is the plug-in hybrid model, which can be seen from the overall sales comparison.
Dengzhong D9 (8,686 units), Buick GL8 new energy (7,391 units), and Lantu Dreamer (6,540 units) ranked in the top three, among which the sales of Denza D9 are more than three times that of Xiaopeng X9. The three new energy models of Denza D9, Buick GL8 and Lantu Dreamer are hot-selling, mainly driven by plug-in hybrid/extended-range versions. In contrast, pure electric MPVs account for a relatively small proportion in the overall list, and their sales performance is generally not as good as that of plug-in hybrid models.
This reflects the core needs of high-end MPV users – no anxiety about battery life, strong flexibility in car use, and high convenience in recharging. These are precisely the shortcomings of current pure electric MPVs:
First, the anxiety of recharging has not been resolved: Although the 800V fast charging platform greatly shortens the charging time, in scenarios such as high-frequency car use and long-distance travel, the problem of recharging is not as convenient as refueling still exists;
Second, the usage scenarios are complex: high-end MPVs are mostly used for diversified purposes such as family travel, business reception, urban and intercity commuting, while plug-in hybrid models can use electricity and save fuel in the city, and have no worries about long-distance fuel use, which is more adaptable;
Third, the charging facilities are unevenly distributed: in areas outside the first- and second-tier cities, the construction of fast charging piles lags behind, further limiting the popularization speed of pure electric MPVs.
In addition, from the perspective of model selection, in the current high-end new energy MPV market, plug-in hybrid products are rich in variety and more mature in reputation. For example, the Denza D9 has long dominated the list, Buick GL8 New Energy has firmly occupied the market segment relying on its strong brand foundation, and the new brand Weipai Gaoshan has gradually gained user recognition.
In contrast, pure electric MPVs such as Ideal MEGA have innovative highlights, but they are limited by factors such as usage scenario matching, brand awareness and product cost control, and it is difficult to break through in the short term. The fact that Xiaopeng X9 can stand out in this environment not only reflects the competitiveness of the product, but also shows from the side that if pure electric MPVs want to break through on a large scale, they still need to make breakthroughs in the whole industry chain.
Xpeng X9’s current “high flying” is more reflected in the leadership and demonstration of the high-end pure electric MPV track. However, whether it can continue to fly higher still needs to continue to work hard in expanding the user base and improving the convenience of recharging.
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