Chinese EV maker XPENG used its Dubai Brand Night to show off two new flagship SUVs aimed squarely at Middle Eastern drivers — and the headline number is a big one for anyone who has ever worried about charging on a desert road trip. The GX and G9L use the company's Kunpeng Range Extender system to deliver up to 1,210 km of combined range, a pitch built around the region's long distances, brutal summer heat and patchy charging network.
How does it work? The wheels are always driven electrically, but an onboard petrol-powered generator tops up the battery when needed. So you get the usual quiet, punchy EV feel around town, without betting your trip on finding a fast charger. When you do find one, the 800V system claims a 10-80% charge in about 10.7 minutes. XPENG backed up the claims with a real drive: the GX covered 1,231 km from the UAE to Oman through the Liwa desert without recharging.
Inside, both SUVs lean into tech-heavy luxury: an 88-inch AR head-up display, a 21.4-inch rear screen, in-cabin noise cancellation, a dual-zone fridge, and massage-equipped zero-gravity seats in Nappa leather. The GX is the executive option, with three rows of seats, first-class-style rear seating and room for six adults plus six large suitcases — it has already racked up over 4,000 orders across the region, 800 of them in the UAE. The G9L is the family-and-adventure pick, with flexible three-row seating and rear-wheel steering that shrinks its turning radius below 5.5 metres despite its size. Pricing in the UAE starts at AED 259,000 for the G9L pre-sale and AED 299,000 for the GX Flagship Edition.
Why should a traveller care? Because this is part of a broader push that will change how visitors get around the Gulf. XPENG plans to be in all six GCC markets by the end of the year, launch both SUVs across 11 countries from Morocco to Nigeria, and reach more than 20 Middle East and Africa markets with 100-plus sales and service outlets by 2027. It has also rolled out cross-border warranty coverage across the GCC and Levant and a Dubai spare-parts hub promising 24-hour delivery. Six more models tailored for the region arrive within a year. Beyond cars, XPENG is eyeing the region for robotaxis, humanoid robots and — notably — flying cars, with a personal air-mobility regulatory sandbox already in the works in Ras Al Khaimah.
For anyone planning a UAE or Oman road trip in the next couple of years, the practical upshot is simple: extended-range EVs designed for Gulf distances are about to be a realistic rental or purchase option, meaning long drives between Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat without range anxiety. Anyone shopping locally can pre-order now; deliveries are starting across the launch markets.
