The Volkswagen ID. UNYX 09, the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng. Credit: Volkswagen Anhui.
- The Volkswagen ID. UNYX 09 is the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng, following the ID. UNYX 08 SUV.
- The sedan offers a CLTC range of up to 755 km and an assisted-driving chip with 750 TOPS of computing power.
Volkswagen’s Chinese joint venture Volkswagen Anhui opened pre-sales for the ID. UNYX 09 on Thursday, with prices ranging from 199,900 yuan ($29,620) to 249,900 yuan.
The car is the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV), and is positioned as a B-segment smart electric sports sedan. Its official launch is scheduled for late October.
The ID. UNYX 09’s starting price is below the original launch price of the ID. UNYX 08, the first model developed under the partnership. The SUV was initially launched on April 16 at a starting price of 229,900 yuan, while an updated version introduced earlier this month starts at 189,900 yuan for a limited time.
The ID. UNYX 09 measures 5,081 mm in length, 1,980 mm in width and 1,509 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,030 mm. Featuring a fastback design, it is substantially larger than conventional B-segment cars in China.
The sedan is available in single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions. The single-motor version has a peak output of 230 kW (308 hp), while the dual-motor version features front and rear motors rated at 140 kW and 230 kW, respectively.
Both versions use a 91.963 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack with cells supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750). Their CLTC ranges are 755 km and 705 km, respectively.
The ID. UNYX 09 uses Xpeng’s Turing AI assisted-driving chip, delivering 750 TOPS of computing power. Its sensor suite includes 11 cameras, 3 millimeter-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors.
An end-to-end assisted-driving model supports highway and urban Navigation on Autopilot (NOA), as well as parking-space-to-parking-space AI driving assistance. Parking functions include parking after the driver exits, remote-controlled parking and reversing along a previously driven path.
By comparison, the ID. UNYX 08 uses 2 Turing chips with a combined computing power of 1,500 TOPS and Xpeng’s VLA 2.0 assisted-driving system.
The ID. UNYX 09 comes standard with 21-inch wheels and Brembo brake calipers. Its front and rear lighting assemblies feature 422 individually controllable LED units, supporting light shows and video projection in front of the vehicle.
The cabin features a floating central touchscreen, an AI assistant and an 85-inch augmented-reality head-up display. Buyers can choose from 4 exterior colors and 3 interior color schemes, including a model-exclusive misty purple.
Volkswagen’s strategic partnership with Xpeng began in July 2023, when the German automaker announced a $700 million investment in the Chinese company. The partners agreed to jointly develop 2 Volkswagen-branded models using Xpeng’s platform and assisted-driving software.
Volkswagen is counting on new models incorporating local technology to regain lost market share 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 = 6.7489 yuan)
