XPeng’s G6 arrives as competitor to Tesla Model Y in China, nabs over 25k orders in first 72 hours
Just three days after hitting showrooms and opening pre-orders, XPeng Motors’ G6 SUV is garnering a lot of hype in China as over 25,000 customers have already reserved one. This is encouraging news for the automaker, which has put a lot of faith into its latest model as the EV that will compete with the Tesla Model Y and help boost its delivery numbers this year.
The G6 made its official debut in China in late April as XPeng Motors’ fifth EV model, described as an “ultra smart coupe SUV.” The new model also arrives as XPeng’s first production EV to sit atop its next-generation SEPA 2.0 platform architecture, enabling it to offer many new performance features, including faster charging and range increase (469 miles).
Although we won’t know exactly how the coupe SUV’s trims will break down and how pricing will be spaced, we do know the G6 will be priced between RMB 200,000-300,000 ($28,500-$42,650). Toward the end of May, we reported that the first G6 production models had rolled off XPeng’s assembly lines in China ahead of pre-orders opening on June 9.
Those initial models were expected to be shipped immediately to XPeng showrooms around China so potential customers could see the G6 up close and hopefully place a pre-order. Three days since its showroom debut, XPeng is reporting over 25,000 pre-orders.
Early G6 orders are an encouraging sign for XPeng Motors
The automaker shared details of the early hype surrounding the G6 via multiple posts on its company Weibo page. Over 25,000 customers paid RMB 2,000 ($280) to lock in a pre-order for a new XPeng G6 with a discount of RMB 5,000 ($700) available to them if and when they decide to buy the EV.
The vehicle itself is nearly the same size as the Tesla Model Y, one of the EVs XPeng is trying to compete with in China. In general, XPeng is trying to compete against an entire booming industry of EVs overseas and believes the G6 will be its hot seller to help its sales hockey stick above companies like Tesla and Nio this year.
As shared in a research note sent to investors in late May, Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu believes XPeng executives are expecting monthly G6 sales to reach between 6,000-8,000 units. With 25,000 pre-orders already in place, the G6 should help propel XPeng Motors to a successful year in sales… should all those orders solidify.
In the past, XPeng executives have shared the company expects G6 deliveries to begin in Q2 2023. We will learn more at the end of this month when the coupe SUV makes its official launch in China.
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Environment
Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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