Volkswagen Anhui will hold the production launch and debut event for the ID. UNYX 09 sedan on September 24, the joint venture said on Monday, with a simultaneous livestream online.

The timing is tight but regulatory groundwork is done. The five-seat sedan entered the new vehicle catalog of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in July — the last major regulatory step before a model can legally be sold in China. The JV, 75% owned by Volkswagen, also completed the MIIT filing in July.

A countdown poster the company posted on Weibo carried the hashtag "ID. UNYX 09 pre-sales open," suggesting the model may open for pre-sales at the September 24 event.

Second Xpeng-developed model in 24 months

The ID. UNYX 09 is the second model jointly developed by Volkswagen and Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) within 24 months. Volkswagen positions it as a B-segment intelligent all-electric coupe sedan. The first, the ID. UNYX 08 SUV, launched in China on April 16 at a starting price of 229,900 yuan ($34,066).

The partnership dates to July 2023, when Volkswagen announced a $700 million investment in Xpeng. The two companies agreed to jointly develop two Volkswagen-brand models based on Xpeng's platform and smart driving software.

The ID. UNYX 08 carries two Turing AI chips supplied by Xpeng, delivering a combined 1,500 TOPS of computing power, and runs Xpeng's second-generation VLA 2.0 driver assistance solution.

What the filing shows

According to the MIIT filing, the ID. UNYX 09 measures 5,081 mm long, 1,980 mm wide and 1,509 mm tall, with a 3,030 mm wheelbase. It comes in single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive versions, both capped at 200 km/h.

The single-motor version's rear motor delivers 230 kW peak power. The dual-motor version pairs a 140 kW front motor with the 230 kW rear unit for a combined 370 kW. Both versions use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with cells supplied by CATL (HKEX: 3750). The filing did not disclose battery capacity or range figures.

Volkswagen Anhui said the car features an exclusive "wolf-inspired aesthetic" design with crystal-cut headlights, a smart light bar, a dedicated gold badge and an extended long hood. It comes with VLA (Vision-Language-Action) large language model-based smart driving assistance for all scenarios plus an AI assistant; the company claims its intelligence level ranks in the first tier.

Hefei plant passed 100,000 EVs

The production anchor is the JV's Hefei plant. On August 18, Volkswagen Anhui said its 100,000th EV had rolled off the line there, and confirmed the ID. UNYX 09 would launch within the year.

The launch matters for Volkswagen's China position. The German automaker is counting on these new models incorporating local technology to win back market share it has been losing in China's increasingly competitive EV market.

(Exchange rate: $1 = 6.7487 yuan)

What to watch next: whether pre-sales actually open on September 24, the pricing Volkswagen sets relative to the ID. UNYX 08's 229,900 yuan entry point, and the start of volume output of the 09 at Hefei.