Volkswagen ID. UNYX 09. Image from a Weibo post by Robert Cisek, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand China.
- The Volkswagen ID. UNYX 09 is the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng within 24 months.
- Volkswagen said the model’s smart features rank among the first tier and that it is equipped with VLA large-model-based driver assistance.
Volkswagen’s China chief has confirmed that the ID. UNYX 09, the second model jointly developed by the company and Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV), will launch in China in the second half of this year, after the model entered a regulatory catalog.
Robert Cisek, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars Brand China, said on Weibo on July 10 that the ID. UNYX 09 is another new member of the ID. UNYX family and the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng within 24 months.
The model is equipped with full-scenario smart driver assistance based on a VLA (Vision-Language-Action) large model and an AI-powered assistant, putting its smart capabilities among the first tier, Cisek said.
Volkswagen’s new energy vehicle (NEV) product matrix in China is continuing to expand at “China speed,” bringing users more choices, he said.
The ID. UNYX 09 appeared in the latest batch of new vehicle filing catalog released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier on July 10. Inclusion in the catalog is the last major regulatory procedure before a model is allowed to be sold in China.
The 5-seat large electric sedan measures 5,081 mm in length, 1,980 mm in width and 1,509 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,030 mm. It will be offered in single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor four-wheel-drive versions.
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 peak power of 230 kW, for total power of 370 kW.
Both versions have a top speed of 200 km/h and are powered by lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, with cells supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750).
Volkswagen describes the ID. UNYX 09 as a B-segment all-electric coupe sedan, although its dimensions are clearly much larger than those of conventional B-segment models in China.
The model offers spaciousness that surpasses its class and sets a new benchmark for B-segment all-electric coupe sedans, Cisek said on Weibo.
Volkswagen and Xpeng’s strategic partnership began in July 2023, when the German automaker announced a $700 million investment in the Chinese EV maker and said the 2 companies would jointly develop 2 Volkswagen-branded models based on Xpeng’s platform and smart driving software.
The first model from the partnership, the ID. UNYX 08 electric SUV (sport utility vehicle), went on sale in China on April 16, with a starting price of 229,900 yuan ($33,890).
The ID. UNYX 08 is equipped with 2 Turing AI chips supplied by Xpeng, providing total computing power of 1,500 TOPS, and uses Xpeng’s VLA 2.0 smart driving solution.
Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said in an internal letter in February that Volkswagen would become the first commercial customer for the VLA 2.0 smart driving solution.
Volkswagen is counting on these new models that incorporate local innovation technologies to regain gradually lost market share in China’s increasingly competitive EV market.
The ID. UNYX 08 is priced from 229,900 yuan ($33,702) and features smart driving chips and solutions from Xpeng.
($1 = 6.7844 yuan)
