Wolff Olins Crafts Global Brand Platform for Chinese Smart EV Company XPENG

Wolff Olins has created the new brand identity, positioning and design system for XPENG to pave the way for the European launch of the Chinese smart electric vehicles manufacturer - and eventual expansion beyond cars into broader forms of mobility. HI there

This year, XPENG, which is among the market leaders in China, is making its biggest push into Europe, with the launch of two new models - one updated sports sedan and one all-new SUV. It first soft launched into Norway, before testing the waters in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands last year.

XPENG - which is at the forefront of developing and building world-leading mobility, from prototyping flying cars to some of the most advanced software and AI in the market, including laser technology for self-driving cars - needed a distinct identity system to help it stand out in a rapidly growing marketplace dominated by lookalike EV brands.

The starting point for Wolff Olins was XPENG’s mission to transform the mobility industry not through engineering, as other brands have done, but through its focus on experience - seeing mobility as an extension of ourselves, thoughts and all.

XPENG believes that for the next generation of EV buyers, who live surrounded by smart devices and personalised gear, tech isn’t add-ons or gadgets, but ambient, always available and helpful in their daily lives. 

Wolff Olins worked with XPENG to create a brand platform for its launch outside of China that would bring to life its people-first philosophy of intelligent mobility, breaking away from the traditional category codes of automotive to embrace the more modern, youthful and creative codes of lifestyle technology.

The branding consultancy created a positioning and design system that took its lead from XPENG’s expertise in software experience and AI, along with its first use of LiDAR autonomous driving technology - which uses lasers to scan and detect objects to create a 3D map of the car’s surroundings - bringing to life the car’s ‘intelligence’ through a responsive and intuitive identity system. LiDAR creates a point cloud, a collection of millions of highly accurate 3-dimension points in space that map to the cars surroundings, allowing it to intelligently respond to its drivers wants and needs.

Using the distinctive letter ‘X’ within the XPENG name, Wolff Olins created an identity inspired by LiDAR, which adapts to the world around you and shows you the way forward. A precise graphic identity, embedded in your everyday life - a responsive and intuitive world of Xs.

XPENG’s new visual identity feels human and relatable, putting people before performance, and setting the brand apart in a category that is hardware focused. The use of responsive colour gradients and everyday style imagery all combine to convey that XPENG is breaking away from the traditional automotive playbook.

Stewart Davies, senior creative director at Wolff Olins, said: “Working on such a transformative brand like XPENG has been an incredible challenge and privilege. We focused on how to create a brand and design system that could take one of the Chinese market leaders in EV vehicles both onto the global stage and beyond automotive.

“XPENG does not just have aspirations to move into broader mobility, it is already hugely invested in prototyping innovation in flying cars and robotics. It’s an exciting company and we needed a brand identity to match that.”

XPENG soft launched in Europe in 2022 when its P5 EV, a Tesla Model 3 rivalling saloon, went on sale in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Its latest P7 sports sedan and G9 SUV were announced in February and will be on sale in Europe in June and September, respectively.

The brand could be on sale in the UK within the next three years.

XPENG launched its first car - the G3 SUV - in China in 2018, after the company was founded in 2014.