YouTuber’s first-look video spotlights $17K XPeng Mona M03, calling it ‘makes no sense’

YouTube creator Wheelsboy published a first-look video on May 16 centered on XPeng’s 2026 Mona M03, using the headline “THIS $17K EV That Makes No Sense” to frame the Chinese electric sedan around its entry price. The clip described the car as offering “even MORE while keeping the price shockingly low,” according to the video listing. XPeng had already updated the Mona M03 in China on April 2, keeping the starting price at 119,800 yuan, or about $17,380, while adding new hardware and software to higher trims. ### Where does the “$17K” figure come from? XPeng said on April 2 that the 2026 Mona M03 would start at 119,800 yuan and run to 151,800 yuan across six configurations in China. CnEVPost, citing the launch event, converted the base price to about $17,380. That puts the YouTube video’s “$17K EV” framing in line with the updated model’s advertised domestic-market entry price, rounded down in the headline. (youtube.com) XPeng first launched the Mona M03 in August 2024 at the same 119,800 yuan starting price. The company said at the time that the hatchback coupe would come in three versions priced between 119,800 yuan and 155,800 yuan, with deliveries beginning in September 2024. ### What exactly is the Mona M03? XPeng describes the Mona M03 as an “intelligent, all-electric hatchback coupe.” The company said the car measures 4,780 mm in length with a 2,815 mm wheelbase and 621 liters of trunk space. (cnevpost.com) XPeng launched the model under its MONA line at its 10th anniversary gala in Guangzhou on Aug. 28, 2024. (xpeng.com) CarNewsChina reported from the 2024 launch in Beijing that the car used a minimal interior layout centered on a 15.6-inch display and offered accessories including a plug-in instrument panel. That report also said XPeng announced more than 10,000 firm orders within 52 minutes of launch. (xpeng.com) ### What changed on the 2026 version shown in the video? The 2026 Mona M03 kept the same starting price while adding upgraded configurations, according to XPeng launch coverage by CnEVPost. Higher-trim versions received XPeng’s in-house Turing AI chip, and some versions use one chip with 750 TOPS of computing power while others use two. (carnewschina.com) CnEVPost reported that XPeng also raised the sedan’s maximum pure-electric range to 640 kilometers from 620 kilometers on the prior version while keeping battery-pack capacity unchanged. The updated car also added adaptive damping shock absorbers, a new MT8676 cockpit chip and the Tianji AIOS 6.0 system, the report said. (cnevpost.com) ### Why is the car drawing attention outside China? The YouTube listing itself presented the Mona M03 as a case of unusually high equipment at a low headline price, saying the car “offers even MORE while keeping the price shockingly low.” That framing mirrors broader coverage of the model as one of XPeng’s lowest-priced and highest-volume vehicles. (cnevpost.com) XPeng’s April 2 update positioned the Mona M03 as the company’s lowest-priced model and its most important sales driver, according to CnEVPost’s report on the launch. The publication said the model delivered more than 175,000 units in 2025 and accounted for nearly 41% of XPeng’s total deliveries that year. ### Is this a U.S.-market car? (youtube.com) XPeng’s published pricing and launch details for the Mona M03 are for China, and the company materials cited in coverage do not say the model is on sale in the United States. The $17,000 figure in the video reflects the Chinese domestic starting price converted into dollars, not a U.S. retail sticker including shipping, tariffs or homologation costs. (cnevpost.com) The YouTube video is available on the platform under the title “THIS $17K EV That Makes No Sense — 2026 XPENG MONA M03 First Look.” XPeng said the top-trim Ultra SE version of the updated car is expected to begin customer deliveries in August 2026, while other versions will start deliveries sooner. (youtube.com) (cnevpost.com)