Xpeng Finishes European Trial Build of Flagship G9L in Austria

Xpeng has reached a new manufacturing milestone in Europe, wrapping up trial production of its flagship G9L SUV at Magna’s facility in Graz, Austria. The Chinese automaker said the first European-built G9L came off the line on October 7, a step that moves its localization plans forward just days before the model’s global debut in Paris.

The G9L is now the fourth Xpeng nameplate assembled on European soil, according to comments from chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng, who shared the update on social media on October 8. To put the pre-production vehicle through its paces, Xpeng plans to drive it roughly 1,324 kilometers from Graz to Paris, evaluating safety, charging and driving behavior under real-world conditions ahead of the October 12 world premiere. The company also intends to roll the model out across 64 countries and regions.

The milestone, however, stays at the trial stage. Xpeng has not said when series production or customer deliveries will begin in Europe, nor which powertrains will be built locally. The G9L made its Chinese market launch on September 17 as a five-seat flagship SUV, slotting alongside the six-seat GX in a two-model flagship strategy. Buyers in China can pick between a battery-electric version and an extended-range electric variant, and the model opens at a limited-time price of 231,800 yuan (about $34,300).

Xpeng’s European manufacturing push leans on contract assembly rather than company-owned factories. Local output began in September 2025 with the G6 and G9 SUVs, using Magna Steyr’s existing capacity in Graz, and the 2026 P7+ sedan completed trial production at the same site earlier in January. Beyond Europe, Xpeng is also gearing up for right-hand-drive markets: on September 11 it said the first mass-produced right-hand-drive G9L units had left its Guangzhou plant and were being readied for Australia.

The timing keeps Xpeng squarely in the race among Chinese EV makers building European footholds to sidestep trade friction and shorten delivery times. Still, without a confirmed production start or delivery window, the G9L’s European rollout remains a promise rather than a done deal, and the Paris reveal will be the next signal of how quickly Xpeng intends to turn trial builds into showroom cars.