XPENG AUSTRALIA 2026: Chinese EV brand takes control of its Australian and New Zealand operations from TrueEV, and will appoint new dealer network imminently

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Closely following the decision by BYD to attain head-office control of its Australian operations, Chinese electric-vehicle brand XPeng will assume control of its entire Australian and New Zealand operations, effective immediately.

XPeng Motors Australia Pty Ltd (XPeng ANZ) says it is in the process of establishing entirely new “authorised premium dealer networks” across Australia’s major cities in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, as well as customer-support infrastructure and factory-backed logistics to expand and streamline coverage for existing XPeng owners.

This follows the appointment of two factory-backed New Zealand XPeng dealers in January – one in Auckland, the other in Christchurch – with additional NZ locations in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga opening later in 2026.

Previously, XPeng’s Australia sales model was based around online ordering, with XPeng “experience centres” based in non-traditional locations such as Crown Sydney in Barangaroo, as well as four other dealers in NSW, three each in Victoria and Queensland, one in WA and four in Tasmania, with CBD centres in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Darwin “coming”.

It now appears that this existing dealer network will be either significantly reduced or scrapped completely.  

In its press announcement, XPeng ANZ said its core strength as a brand is AI-powered mobility software development, and that it needed to assume control of its operations to “ensure this sophisticated global technology is delivered in its purest and most efficient form.”

“We have evolved our market presence by adding a direct factory-backed model. This direction allows XPeng ANZ to take full responsibility for fostering and building an entirely new dealer network that is perfectly aligned with the future of intelligent mobility,” reads the company statement.

This factory takeover announcement by XPeng’s head office comes after the company had court papers filed against it by XPeng’s former Australian distributor, TrueEV, in early March – though the specific reasons behind this action are not yet clear.

TrueEV had a five-year agreement with XPeng in China to handle Australian distribution, and this has now ended after just 18 months.

On March 19, TrueEV also entered external receivership in order to recoup the costs of the remaining 197 (now-superseded) G6 vehicles it still has in stock.

As for XPeng’s proposed new-model roll-out, the existing website holds some clues as to the likely arrival of the updated 2026 G6, the X9 people mover and G9 large SUV.

The updated G6 is currently expected “early 2026”, the X9 electric MPV launch will be announced “late Q1, available for delivery in Q2 2026”, and the handsome G9 SUV will have its launch announced in “Q3 2026, available for delivery in Q4.”

As for whether the 10-year warranty given to early XPeng adopters will be honoured going forward, further details are expected in due course.