China's SAMR Orders Recall of 33,473 Xpeng X9 Vehicles

China's State Administration for Market Regulation said on July 24 that Zhaoqing Xpeng New Energy Investment filed a recall plan for 33,473 Xpeng X9 vehicles because manufacturing variability may reduce the airtightness of the front air spring, potentially causing leaks after long-term use in hot and humid conditions. In extreme cases, the defect could trigger warning lights and affect driving safety. Xpeng will replace the improved front air spring strut assemblies free of charge, according to Jiemian News. The recall adds to Xpeng's history of safety actions: it recalled 13,399 G3 vehicles in 2021 and 47,490 P7+ vehicles in September 2025. Jiemian News said the two earlier recalls were linked to inverter capacitor terminal and steering-assist issues, respectively. The article said Xpeng also faced customer complaints over OTA-related battery range changes and product updates that some early G3 buyers viewed as too rapid. The report said Xpeng delivered more than 60,000 X9s globally by June 2026, but monthly sales fell from 3,971 at the start of this year to 1,466 in June. Xpeng's first-half 2026 deliveries totaled about 166,000 vehicles, down 15.83% year on year, against a full-year target of 550,000 to 600,000 units. Its first-quarter net loss widened to 1.78 billion yuan from a 3.8 billion yuan profit in the fourth quarter of 2025. On July 24, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also conducted an on-site inspection of Xpeng's road vehicle production safety assurance and production conformity systems. Separately, the article said Xpeng is investing 7 billion yuan in physical AI research and development in 2026, with mass production planned for its humanoid robots, Robotaxi model GX and flying car projects. It said Xpeng started small-batch trial production of humanoid robots in Guangzhou on July 24 and aims to begin sample Robotaxi operations in Guangzhou in the second half of 2026.