The ID. UNYX 09, Volkswagen’s second model co-developed with Xpeng. Credit: Volkswagen Anhui
- The Volkswagen ID. UNYX 09 is the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng.
- The sedan completed its regulatory filing in July and comes in single-motor and dual-motor versions.
Volkswagen Anhui said on Monday that the production launch and debut event for the ID. UNYX 09 will be held on September 24, with a simultaneous livestream online.
The joint venture, 75% owned by Volkswagen, posted a countdown poster on Weibo using the hashtag “ID. UNYX 09 pre-sales open,” suggesting the model may open for pre-sales at the event.
The ID. UNYX 09 is the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) within 24 months, and Volkswagen positions it as a B-segment intelligent all-electric coupe sedan.
The car features an exclusive “wolf-inspired aesthetic” design with crystal-cut headlights, a smart light bar, a dedicated gold badge, and an extended long hood, Volkswagen Anhui said.
The vehicle is more than 5 meters long with a wheelbase of 3,030 mm. It comes with VLA (Vision-Language-Action) large language model-based smart driving assistance for all scenarios and an AI assistant, and Volkswagen Anhui said its intelligence level ranks in the first tier.
The ID. UNYX 09 entered the new vehicle catalog of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in July. Inclusion in the catalog is the last major regulatory step before a model is allowed to be sold in China.
According to the filing, the five-seat sedan is 5,081 mm long, 1,980 mm wide and 1,509 mm tall, and is available in single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions, both with a top speed of 200 km/h.
The single-motor version has a rear motor with peak power of 230 kW. The dual-motor version has a front motor with peak power of 140 kW and a rear motor with 230 kW, for a combined output of 370 kW.
Both versions use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with cells supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750).
Volkswagen Anhui said on August 18 that its 100,000th electric vehicle (EV) had rolled off the line at its Hefei plant, adding that the ID. UNYX 09 would launch within the year.
Its first model developed with Xpeng, the ID. UNYX 08 SUV, was launched in China on April 16 with a starting price of 229,900 yuan ($34,066).
The ID. UNYX 08 is equipped with two Turing AI chips supplied by Xpeng, delivering total computing power of 1,500 TOPS, and uses Xpeng’s second-generation VLA 2.0 driver assistance solution.
The strategic partnership between Volkswagen and Xpeng began in July 2023, when the German automaker announced a $700 million investment in Xpeng, with the two sides jointly developing two Volkswagen-brand models based on Xpeng’s platform and smart driving software.
Volkswagen is counting on these new models incorporating local technology to win back market share it has been losing in China’s increasingly competitive EV market.
The updated ID. UNYX 08 starts at a limited-time price of 189,900 yuan ($28,030), 17.4% below its starting price at its April launch.
($1 = 6.7487 yuan)
