Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker XPeng has appointed Kai Qian as its new country director for Germany, Europe’s largest automotive market.
After spending 6 years in the BMW Group, Qian joined the Guangzhou-based automaker in late 2021, initially as Senior Commercial Manager EU, where he helped define XPeng’s European business and pricing model.
In April 2023, he was promoted to Head of EU Go-to-Market Planning before transitioning to Director of Sales and Network for the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland).
For the past seven months, Qian has overseen XPeng’s operations in Switzerland and Austria.
On Friday, the executive wrote on LinkedIn, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Country Director Germany at XPeng.”
Qian holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Technology and Management-Oriented Business Administration from the Technical University of Munich, Germany.
XPeng first signaled its intention to enter the German market during the IAA Mobility show in Munich in September 2023.
The company formally announced its expansion into Germany in March 2024, stating it aims to capture a 3% share of the country’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market by year-end.
As of Friday, Markus Schrick lists himself as Managing Director for XPeng Germany on LinkedIn.
When asked by EV if Schrick had been replaced as the chief for the German market, a spokesperson for the brand denied and said the information was “not correct.”
Asked to clarify both roles and how they differ from each other, EV got no response — as of the time of writing.
XPeng’s sales in Germany reached a record high in June, with 240 vehicle registrations, up 29% from May and a significant jump from just 19 units in June 2024, according to data from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
The company registered a total of 1,065 EVs in the country in the first half of 2025.
XPeng currently sells three models in Germany: the P7 sedan starting at €49,600 ($58,100), the G6 SUV priced from €43,600 ($51,100), and the G9 SUV starting at €59,600 ($69,900).
To boost sales, XPeng is offering a €3,000 ($3,500) trade-in bonus on new G6 and G9 purchases delivered by July 31. The incentive applies to trade-ins of both combustion-engine and alternative drivetrain vehicles, according to the company’s website.
XPeng sold 1,693 vehicles across 17 out of 18 European markets in June, a 48.8% increase from May’s 1,138 units.
