XPENG, the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) company with a dual listing on NYSE and the Hong Kong Exchange, has announced plans to expand to the Middle East, with a partnership deal with Ali&Sons for the UAE market.

Other markets targeted by the Volkswagen-backed company include Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Azerbaijan, XPENG said in a statement. The partnership will enable XPENG to retail its smart EVs to local consumers, while also providing after-sales support.

By Q3 2024, XPENG plans to roll out the G6 SUV and G9 SUV models in the UAE.

The company further said its P7 sedan and G9 SUV models will release in Jordan and Lebanon from Q2, and in Egypt from Q3.

The Guangzhou-headquartered company said the UAE is XPENG’s first market in the Gulf region, along with Azerbaijan as the company's first in Central Asia and Egypt as the first in Africa. Expansion into additional European markets including Germany, the UK, Italy, and France is also set in parallel for this year.

Alex Tang, GM of International Markets, XPENG, said: “The new markets we are announcing today are recognised globally as the nucleus for EV growth, which makes this the natural and forward-thinking next step in our expansion into the EMEA market.”

Earlier this week, the EV maker said it had plans to hire 4,000 this year, announced in a letter from Chief Executive He Xiaopeng to employees.

According to a Reuters report, the company will also invest 3.5 billion yuan ($486.36 million) in AI research and development for intelligent driving.

As the Middle East region steers the course for greater e-mobility solutions in a sustainability push, XPENG’s announcement coincides with another Chinese EV maker, BYD, which has signed a distribution agreement of several of its models with the Qatar-listed Mannai Corporation.