XPENG to Launch Its G9L AI Flagship SUV Globally at the Paris Motor Show
October 1, 2026
What happened
XPENG announced on October 1 that it will hold the global launch of its Next-Gen AI Flagship SUV, the G9L, at the 2026 Paris Motor Show on October 12. The company will open European order books and reveal European pricing at the event, marking the model’s transition from its China debut to a global rollout.
The details
The G9L had its China launch in Beijing on September 17, where XPENG said the SUV will be sold in 64 global markets. It’s offered in both battery-electric and range-extended versions, measures 5,120 mm long with a 3,100 mm wheelbase, and runs on the company’s VLA 2.0 model — using the same Turing AI chip that powers XPENG’s IRON humanoid robot.
Safety testing has been extensive: XPENG says the G9L meets the design standards of four major five-star safety ratings and completed 192 crash tests across Euro NCAP, ANCAP, C-NCAP and CIASI protocols, totaling more than 110 individual test items. Global road testing covered 26 countries over three years with cumulative mileage over 6.74 million kilometers.
Production will begin in Guangzhou, China, and Graz, Austria — making the G9L the fourth XPENG model built in Europe at Magna’s plant in Graz, following the G6, G9 and P7+. XPENG will take a 1,000+ square meter stand in Hall 6 billed as a “Physical AI Museum,” covering its technology stack, AI-defined vehicles, humanoid robots and flying cars. Notably, XPENG says it and Tesla are the only two automakers participating in the show’s official Autonomous Lab program, where the public will get NGP intelligent-driving test rides in the recently launched L03 coupe — its first large-scale test ride experience outside China.
The announcement lands as XPENG’s overseas momentum picks up: second-quarter 2026 overseas deliveries surpassed 20,000 for the first time, up 81% year-on-year, and the company has delivered more than 100,000 vehicles outside China.
Why it matters
XPENG isn’t selling a car here — it’s selling a thesis. Chairman He Xiaopeng’s “car as robot” pitch is that the same AI foundation powers both the vehicles and the IRON humanoid, and the Paris stand is designed to make that case to European buyers and regulators. Local production in Graz matters too: it sidesteps tariff pressure and signals XPENG is serious about being a European-market player, not just an exporter. And being the only company alongside Tesla in the Autonomous Lab is a quiet flex — XPENG wants its intelligent driving treated as a peer to Tesla’s, in front of a European audience that gets to ride in it themselves.
Sources: Unite.AI, PR Newswire