Chinese brand Xpeng is considering building its first-ever ute, which could shape as a rival to vehicles such as the Toyota HiLux BEV, KGM Musso EV, MG U9 EV, and potentially even the Tesla Cybertruck.
“You cannot say pickup, right? You have to say ‘ute’ in Australia,” Xpeng vice chairman and president Brian Gu told media includingCarExpertin Melbourne.
“The format probably is something we are looking into. Clearly, it’s not a big format in China because China doesn’t drive that format, but I understand in Australia, in limited countries in Latin America, or in Africa or Middle East, those are actually pretty popular.
“So, we are thinking about whether it’s a format we want to develop.”
While the Tesla Model Y electric SUV relegated the Ford Ranger ute from the top of the sales ladder in Australia in both May and June 2026, the Ford was the country’s top-selling model for the previous three years.
It took over from the Toyota HiLux ute, which was Australia’s best-selling vehicle from 2016 to 2022, with every top-10 brand offering a ute apart from Chery, which will launch its Stockman this year, and Hyundai, which is also planning a ute.
The ute segment still made up 16.6 per cent of total new-vehicle sales here between January and June 2026, despite being down from 19.2 per cent over the same period last year.
Xpeng’s global model range uses four core platforms and, while it includes large SUVs such as the G9L and larger GX – which, at 5265mm long, is bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser (4995mm) and Range Rover Sport (4946mm) – both use car-like monocoque construction.
The LandCruiser and utes such as the Ford Ranger use body-on-frame, or ladder-frame, construction, which is preferred for its off-road capability, durability and towing ability.
The closest vehicle Xpeng currently offers is the wild Land Aircraft Carrier, which acts as the ‘mothership’ for its Flying Car. However, it also uses a bespoke platform rather than conventional ladder-frame construction.
While Xpeng could potentially look to the Volkswagen Amarok, with the German automaker an investor in the Chinese brand, its Ranger-derived ladder-frame platform is part of a commercial-vehicle sharing arrangement between Ford and Volkswagen.
While not impossible, it means the Amarok’s ladder-frame platform is unlikely to be made available to Xpeng, even if Ford CEO Jim Farley reportedly described Xpeng as a company “getting it right” in 2023.
“It is going to require quite different development process as the chassis and the requirements different,” Mr Gu added. “But that’s something we’re looking into right now.”
It would follow Xpeng’s comments that the brand is looking to create new segments, with a luxury ladder-frame dual-cab ute currently not offered in Australia.
Mr Gu didn’t confirm whether a potential Xpeng ute would use a battery-electric powertrain or the brand’s ‘Kunpeng’ extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) technology, both of which are being offered as part of a broader model rollout in Australia.
Tesla, which Xpeng Australia named as one of its key rivals, revealed the Cybertruck electric pickup in the United States in 2019 and, while it appears on the local Tesla website, it’s not currently sold here.
It uses exoskeleton construction rather than a traditional ladder-frame chassis.
Lexus, which Xpeng said its European arm has been taking customers from, toldCarExpertat the 2025 Tokyo auto show it had no plans for a Lexus version of the Toyota HiLux, for example.
The HiLux is offered in hybrid and battery-electric forms and, from 2028, will also be offered here with hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology, all using the same ladder-frame chassis.
If Xpeng does develop or source a ladder-frame platform, it could also open the way for a more off-road-capable SUV, with Ford using the same ladder-frame architecture for its Ranger ute and popular Everest SUV, for example.
“I think SUVs, we understand … we want to make sure it’s capable of being driven not just in the beautiful highway lands, but that can also take on certain sort of wider urban as well as some limited of limited off road capabilities,” said Mr Gu.
Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng confirmed earlier this week that the company would happily enter the US market – where, like Australia, body-on-frame utes and SUVs are extremely popular – and even open factories there, if government policy were to change.
“America will be one of the most important markets that we have to enter because it will help us to grow better as well,” the CEO told WardsAuto.