Just days after officially launching orders of its new MONA M03 EV in China, XPeng Motors is seeing huge customer interest as deliveries begin. The Chinese automaker reported the M03 garnered over 30,000 orders in its first 48 hours on sale.
XPeng’s latest BEV model is gaining steam as orders officially open and deliveries commence. The AI-centric M03 made its official debut in early July, promising a price below RMB 200,000 ($27,500). Earlier this month, XPeng founder, chairman, and CEO He Xiaopeng shared that the M03 had begun mass production in China before a scheduled launch event on August 27.
A product poster that surfaced soon thereafter revealed that the MONA M03 would debut at a starting price significantly lower than initially promised – RMB 135,900 ($19,040). During the August 27 launch event, however, XPeng began pre-orders of the MONA M03 at an even lower starting price – RMB 119,800 ($16,815), more than half the cost of a Tesla Model 3 in China.
At such affordable pricing, would-be customers in China quickly took notice. XPeng relayed that the M03 had tallied over 10,000 orders in its first 52 minutes in sale. Today, we have learned that number has jumped to over 30,000 orders and is growing.
XPeng delivers first MONA M03 orders in Chengdu
As reported by CnEVPost, XPeng founder, chairman, and CEO, He Xiapoeng, was present on-site at the Chengdu Auto Show for the initial MONA M03 deliveries to customers who placed an order and were present at the event.
According to XPeng, 55% of customers in China who ordered the Mona M03 were under 30 years old, and 61% were male. Yesterday, XPeng posted a video to its Weibo page showing many M03s parked and ready for volume deliveries in China, which are scheduled to begin very soon.
As we reported following the launch and start of pre-orders, the MONA M03 arrives in three separate trims, priced at RMB 119,800 ($16,815), RMB 129,800 ($18,220), and RMB 155,800 ($21,870), respectively. The three variants – 515, 620, and 580 Max – refer to each M03’s CLTC range (km), and the “Max” signifies the addition of XPeng’s smart driving ADAS capability.
Each model is propelled by a single motor that can accelerate 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 7.8 seconds in the 515 and 7.4 seconds in the 620 and 580 Max variants. The most affordable trim features a 51.8 kWh battery pack, while the other two come with 62.2 kWh packs. During today’s launch, Xiaopeng said the Mona M03 consumes 11.5 kWh of electricity per 100 kilometers.
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JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.