XPeng L03 self-driving hardware limited to $64,990 Ultra
Words: Richard Edwards
Only one version of the XPeng L03 will get the brand’s NGP driver assistance system when it arrives in New Zealand in 2027.
The $64,990 AWD Performance Ultra is the sole variant fitted with the three Turing AI chips the system runs on. XPeng NZ’s own website now states NGP is “powered by 3 Turing AI chips, delivering up to 2,250 TOPS, on the AWD Performance Ultra”.
The $49,990 Standard Range and PowerX and the $54,990 Long Range use a conventional driver assistance package, and XPeng has not indicated any hardware upgrade path for them.”
Earlier reports, including ours in July, said every L03 carried the Turing hardware. That applied to the Chinese-market car. Export versions are specified differently.
Below the Ultra, the L03 runs XPeng’s XPilot system with adaptive cruise, lane centring, lane change assist, traffic sign recognition and a parking assistant with 360-degree cameras.
The Ultra’s three chips are split between infotainment and driving, one for the cabin and two for the car, for a combined 2250 TOPS of computing power. XPeng says that is the minimum for its VLA 2.0 software, the “physical world foundation model” behind NGP and the company’s rival to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised).
XPeng plans to switch NGP on for Australian and New Zealand Ultra owners by over-the-air update in 2027, subject to regulatory approval. Calibration testing on local roads is under way.
At $64,990 the Ultra remains the cheapest way to buy the hardware in New Zealand. It sits under the G6 AWD Performance ($72,990) and the Tesla Model Y RWD ($67,900), and XPeng has said the software will be supplied at no extra cost. Tesla charges a subscription for its equivalent.
Australian specifications published this week show other kit the launch presentation described as range-wide is also Ultra-only, including the 18-speaker audio system with active noise cancellation, massage front seats and 20-inch wheels. All variants get the 15.6-inch touchscreen, 8.9-inch instrument display, 26.8-inch head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control and wireless phone charging.
No XPeng sold in New Zealand currently runs NGP. The G6 launched here on XPilot with the same promise of a later rollout.
First L03 arrivals are expected in November.
