Xpeng's X9 is a large, fully electric multi-purpose vehicle — a segment the Chinese manufacturer is using to push deeper into Europe's premium market. Heise's test of the car, published under the headline "Die konsequente Absage an Agilität" ("the consistent rejection of agility"), reaches an unambiguous verdict: the X9 is not built to be driven hard. It is built to be sat in.
That is a deliberate choice rather than a defect, and it reflects where the MPV segment has landed. In Europe, vans and MPVs once sold on the promise of family practicality, then lost ground for a decade to SUVs. Electric platforms have reopened the category: with the battery in the floor, designers can offer limousine-like rear space without the fuel penalty of a heavy van, which is why models such as Volkswagen's ID. Buzz and Mercedes-Benz's electric V-Class now share showroom space with a wave of Chinese entrants.
Xpeng, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Guangzhou, is one of the most aggressive of those entrants. It entered Norway first, then expanded across Germany, France, the Netherlands and the Nordics, and now sells the G6 and G9 SUVs and the P7 saloon alongside its flagship MPV. The X9 is aimed at buyers who want an executive shuttle or a large family vehicle rather than a driver's car — precisely the trade-off Heise's headline identifies.
The commercial backdrop is harder than it was. European countervailing duties imposed in 2024 raised the cost of Chinese-built electric vehicles, prompting several manufacturers to plan local assembly in Europe instead of importing finished cars. Xpeng has signalled that it too intends to move part of its European business toward assembly on the continent.
The full Heise test sits behind a paywall, so the X9's performance, range and pricing figures could not be independently verified for this report; what is clear from the review's framing is the conclusion, that Xpeng has prioritised calm, space and comfort over dynamism. For a brand still building recognition in Europe, that is a bet on a quieter kind of premium.
