XPeng debuts the AI-centric M03 sedan in its new MONA EV lineup, priced below $27,500

We have learned new details of XPeng’s new lineup of MONA EVs, beginning with the flagship M03 model. This new AI-centric BEV is promised to deliver its class’s strongest smart driving capabilities and will launch at a starting price below RMB 200,000 ($27,500).

XPeng first shared plans for a new sub-brand focused on artificial intelligence this past March, promising mass-market EVs priced as low as $14,000. A month later, during the Beijing Auto Show, XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng shared that the brand would be called MONA, an acronym for “Made of New AI.”

In June, before the MONA brand’s official launch, we learned its first model will be an all-electric sedan called the M03. It’s important to note that XPeng changed its verbiage during that announcement when discussing MONA, describing it as a new lineup of XPeng BEVs rather than its own sub-brand.

Today, XPeng streamed a live debut of the MONA M03 from China, where we learned more details about the initial model before its official launch next month.

MONA M03 will officially launch in China in August

XPeng shared details of the M03 via a live stream, which was announced on its new dedicated Weibo page for MONA. The MONA program is supported by a mobility ecosystem from ride-hailing specialist Didi Global, whose EV business was acquired by XPeng in 2023.

XPeng is hoping the MONA M03 will help bolster BEV sales in the second half of 2024, and so is Didi Global, as it is entitled to equity incentives based on annual sales for the next two years, per its agreement signed with XPeng last year.

XPeng’s CEO did not divulge any performance specs of the MONA M03 during the debut event but did state the new AI model is “meant to give respect to Tesla’s Model 3.” On its Weibo page, XPeng has shared that the M03 has a drag coefficient of 0.194 Cd, hailing it as the world’s most aerodynamic all-electric hatchback sedan.

Filings with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) show that the MONA M03 will be available in two single-motor variants, offering peak motor power of 140 kW and 160 kW, respectively.

Lastly, Xiaopeng confirmed the first XPeng MONA model will start at a price below RMB 200,000 ($27,500). That’s a bit higher than the price range initially promised, but the M03 remains an ultra-affordable new model, especially if it features the smart driving technology XPeng is teasing.

We will learn more following the official launch of the MONA M03 in August.