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EV automaker XPeng Motors unveiled its fourth EV today at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition in China. The new electric SUV dubbed “the G9,” matches previous speculation about the vehicle, and it will arrive with XPeng’s latest technologies. This includes the company’s new EV architecture, ADAS system, and supercharging capabilities.

Xiaopeng, aka XPeng Motors, sits as one of the more prominent EV automakers in China, with three vehicles currently on the market. Its entry into the segment began in 2018 with its G3 SUV.

The G3 was soon joined by the P7 sedan in 2019, and both EVs have remained mainstays in XPeng’s fleet. The automaker since expanded overseas, selling both EVs in Europe, beginning with Norway.

XPeng unveiled its third EV this past August, a second sedan called the P5 – a direct competitor to the Tesla Model 3 in China, but at a significantly lower cost.

Since then, rumors have continually circulated about what XPeng’s next EV offering will be, specifically alluding to a larger SUV to complement the G3. Last week, we reported on a teaser image of the EV’s silhouette posted by XPeng.

This was joined by a puzzle-like post splitting the image into nine different squares and captioning it with a “G.” We speculated at the time that this seemed like a pretty evident hint that XPeng’s next EV would be called the G9.

Early this (Friday) morning in Beijing, XPeng confirmed many of the rumors surrounding the G9 and shared new details of its next SUV.

The G9 will debut with Xpeng’s most advanced tech yet

According to a press release from Guangzhou, XPeng shared that its fourth production model will be the G9 and will arrive as the first designed from the outset for both domestic Chinese and international markets.

This means the G9 was designed from day one to be compliant with the C-NCAP and E-NCAP five-star safety design standards, as well as the EU WVTA vehicle certification standards.

The G9’s front end fits the recognizable XPeng X Robot Face look, complete with daytime running lights. XPeng has also integrated two LiDAR units directly into the headlights, cleverly combining driver assistance technology with its unique design.

Speaking of driver assistance, the G9 will be the first EV to utilize XPeng’s X-Pilot 4.0 ADAS. This proprietary, full-scenario-assisted driving works from the EV start-up to parking, one step closer to delivering full autonomous driving in the future. 

The G9 will sit upon XPeng’s new X-EEA 3.0 architecture, a proprietary EV platform that integrates hardware, software, and communications together. The automaker said that with this platform, the G9 will be able to receive firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates in as quickly as 30 minutes, utilizing gigabit ethernet communications.

During XPeng’s 1024 Tech Day in October, we reported about 800V fast charging technology that the company was touting. During today’s reveal, the automaker announced the G9 will use the new-generation XPower 3.0 powertrain system with China’s first 800V high-voltage mass-production SiC platform.

As a result, XPeng claims the G9 will be able to charge up to 200 km (124 mi) of range in five minutes, with a maximum energy efficiency of over 95%.

XPeng said it is also rolling out lightweight 480 kW high-voltage supercharging piles, with 670A+ flow rate capacity and IP67 protection, to provide safer and more convenient charging.

While these new technologies are exciting (especially for consumers in China and Europe), XPeng did leave out a lot of the specs we usually love to share. At this time, the automaker has not shared vital G9 specs such as battery size, trim levels, range estimates, or pricing.

More details are sure to come to light as the new G9 moves closer to production. Sources familiar with the company told us that XPeng is planning an SOP for the G9 sometime in Q3 of 2022.

Check out the unveiling video here:


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Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton among 1,300 filmmakers to boycott Israeli film companies

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Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton among 1,300 filmmakers to boycott Israeli film companies

Olivia Colman, Javier Bardem, Susan Sarandon and Tilda Swinton are among more than 1,300 filmmakers who are refusing to work with Israeli film companies they say are “implicated in genocide” in Gaza.

Screenwriters, producers, actors and directors have signed a pledge created by Film Makers for Palestine in the latest show of celebrities speaking out against the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

They will boycott Israeli film institutions and companies, which they say are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”.

Some of the biggest names in film have signed the pledge, Riz Ahmed, Miriam Margolyes, Juliet Stevenson and Ken Loach also among them.

Writer-directors such as The Lobster director Yorgos Lanthimos and British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, who made documentaries Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona, and producers such as two-time BAFTA winner James Wilson and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy producer Robyn Slovo have also signed the pledge.

The Crown actress Olivia Colman has signed the pledge. Pic: PA
Image:
The Crown actress Olivia Colman has signed the pledge. Pic: PA

Palme d’Or and BAFTA-winning producer Rebecca O’Brien, who produced I, Daniel Blake with Ken Loach, told Sky News: “For decades, Israeli festivals, broadcasters, and production companies have played their role in masking and justifying Israel’s system of apartheid and its war crimes – some through direct government partnerships.

“I refuse to let my work be used to whitewash a genocide.”

More on Israel

Israel has repeatedly said its actions in Gaza are justified as a means of self-defence and denied they amount to genocide.

After the world’s leading association of genocide scholars, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, declared Israel is committing genocide in Gaza last week, the Israeli foreign ministry said it was based on “Hamas lies” and poor research.

Susan Sarandon, here at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, has made the pledge. Pic: AP
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Susan Sarandon, here at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York, has made the pledge. Pic: AP

The boycott pledge urges the industry to “refuse silence, racism, and dehumanisation and to do everything humanly possible to end complicity in their oppression”.

The declaration was inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid, founded by award-winning filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme in 1987, which led to more than 100 prominent filmmakers refusing to screen their films in apartheid South Africa.

Read more:
Six killed in rush hour bus shooting in Jerusalem
Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee as another tower is bombed

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IDF drops evacuation flyers on Gaza before tower bombed

The pledge is just the latest show of support for Gazans and against their treatment by Israel from celebrities.

In May, Sky News exclusively reported a letter signed by more than 300 famous names urging Sir Keir Starmer to “end UK complicity” in Gaza.

Benedict Cumberbatch, Annie Lennox, Gary Lineker and Dua Lipa were among the public figures joining leading doctors, academics, campaign groups and a Holocaust survivor.

Bond villain Javier Bardem has also signed
Image:
Bond villain Javier Bardem has also signed

In June, more celebrities added their names to the letter to try to push the government to act after they said nothing had changed.

Read more:
Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker join 300 public figures urging end to UK complicity in Gaza

Judy Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci join call for PM to end UK complicity in Gaza

At the time, a UK government spokesman said it “strongly” opposes Israel’s military expansion in Gaza and called on the Israeli government to “cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid”.

The spokesman also said the government suspended export licences to Israel last year “for items used in military operations in Gaza” and called for a ceasefire agreement.

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Israeli PM speaks after Jerusalem attack

More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Strip since the war began, Hamas-run Gaza health authorities say.

The war was sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages.

Of the 48 hostages still held in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.

Over the past few weeks, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have been preparing to intensify the war after the government vowed to gain full military control of Gaza to defeat Hamas.

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Rick Davies: Supertramp singer and co-founder dies

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Rick Davies: Supertramp singer and co-founder dies

Rick Davies, a founding member of the British rock group Supertramp, has died.

The 81-year-old, who had been battling multiple myeloma – a type of blood cancer – for the last decade, died on Saturday, a statement from the band said.

The band’s lead singer wrote many of their hits, including Breakfast In America and The Logical Song, alongside Roger Hodgson.

Supertramp's Richard Davies, Roger Hodgson, Richard Palmer, Robert Millar and David Winthrop. Pic: PA
Image:
Supertramp’s Richard Davies, Roger Hodgson, Richard Palmer, Robert Millar and David Winthrop. Pic: PA

The band’s statement, posted with a photo of Davies walking his dog by the sea and soundtrack of Goodbye Stranger, paid tribute to both his musical legacy and his warm personality.

The statement read: “As co-writer, along with partner Roger Hodgson, he was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history.

“His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the band’s sound.”

“Beyond the stage, Rick was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, with whom he shared over five decades,” the band said.

“After facing serious health challenges, which kept him unable to continue touring as Supertramp, he enjoyed performing with his hometown buds as Ricky and the Rockets.

“Rick’s music and legacy continue to inspire many and bear testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on.”

Born in Swindon, Wiltshire, in 1944, Davies’s love of music began in his childhood, the group said, listening to Gene Krupa’s Drummin’ Man, which sparked a lifelong passion for jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll.

Davies and Hodgson formed the band that would become Supertramp in 1969.

(L-R) Rick Davies and John Helliwell in 2002. Pic Reuters
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(L-R) Rick Davies and John Helliwell in 2002. Pic Reuters

The line-up changed numerous times over the years, with the band best remembered for the period from 1973 to 1983, when Davies and Hodgson performed with Dougie Thomson on bass, Bob Siebenberg on drums and John Helliwell on saxophone.

Crime of the Century, their breakthrough album, came out in 1974, followed by their biggest hit in 1979 with Breakfast In America, and hit singles The Logical Song, Breakfast in America, Goodbye Stranger and Take the Long Way Home.

Amid creative disputes, Hodgson left the band to go solo in 1983. Davies eventually became the only constant member throughout its history.

While a reunion tour was announced in 2015, it was cancelled when Davies was diagnosed with cancer.

He settled a royalties lawsuit in 2023 after a long-running dispute with ex-bandmates. Just last month, a US appeals court ruled that Hodgson must share royalties for three of Supertramp’s songs with his ex-bandmates.

Davies leaves behind his wife Sue, who had managed the band since the mid-80s.

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MTV VMAs in pictures: Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter triumph as tribute paid to Ozzy Osbourne

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MTV VMAs in pictures: Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter triumph as tribute paid to Ozzy Osbourne

Lady Gaga has led the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), with four wins including artist of the year. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter took three awards each.

It was a night dominated by women, with female stars bagging all the awards, with the exception of Bruno Mars for his collaborations with Gaga and Blackpink member Rose.

Mariah Carey collected her first-ever VMA award, swiftly followed by a second when she was awarded the Video Vanguard award.

And tribute was paid to Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July, with Yungblud and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry performing Black Sabbath classics, introduced by Jack Osbourne and his four daughters.

Here’s the best of the MTV VMAs, in pictures.

Ariana Grande on the red carpet. Pic: AP
Image:
Ariana Grande on the red carpet. Pic: AP

Lady Gaga accepts the award for artist of the year. Pic: AP
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Lady Gaga accepts the award for artist of the year. Pic: AP

Sabrina Carpenter looking slinky on the red carpet, ahead of her three awards. Pic: AP
Image:
Sabrina Carpenter looking slinky on the red carpet, ahead of her three awards. Pic: AP

Tate McRae gives a high energy, and very sandy, live performance . Pic: AP
Image:
Tate McRae gives a high energy, and very sandy, live performance . Pic: AP

Mariah Carey reaches out to her fans. Pic: AP
Image:
Mariah Carey reaches out to her fans. Pic: AP

Jessica Simpson presents Ricky Martin with his moonman statuette. Pic: AP
Image:
Jessica Simpson presents Ricky Martin with his moonman statuette. Pic: AP

Ariana Grande wins video of the year Pic: AP
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Ariana Grande wins video of the year Pic: AP

Not quite the Madonna and Britney Spears kiss of 2003 - Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey share a peck. Pic: AP
Image:
Not quite the Madonna and Britney Spears kiss of 2003 – Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey share a peck. Pic: AP

Rose from Blackpink won the award for song of the year for APT. Pic: AP
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Rose from Blackpink won the award for song of the year for APT. Pic: AP

Lady Gaga had to rush off, but dialled in a performance later. Pic: AP
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Lady Gaga had to rush off, but dialled in a performance later. Pic: AP

(L-R): Yungblud, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry perform a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. Pic: AP
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(L-R): Yungblud, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry perform a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne. Pic: AP

Sabrina Carpenter clutches her three awards on the way out. Pic: AP
Image:
Sabrina Carpenter clutches her three awards on the way out. Pic: AP

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