• Xpeng's August deliveries rose 2.84% from July, reaching their second-highest monthly level this year after 40,126 vehicles in June.
• Xpeng management said last month the company would target monthly sales of more than 60,000 in the fourth quarter.

Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) delivered 39,107 vehicles in August, its second-highest monthly total this year after 40,126 in June, according to data released Tuesday.

That represented a 3.71% year-on-year increase, marking the third consecutive month of year-on-year growth.

Compared with 38,027 vehicles in July, August deliveries rose 2.84%, reversing the previous month's sequential decline.

Xpeng delivered 243,111 vehicles in the first 8 months of the year, down 10.49% year-on-year, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.

The decline narrowed by 2.29 percentage points from 12.78% in the first 7 months, showing that the sales shortfall accumulated during the first 5 months of the year is gradually shrinking.

Xpeng previously guided for third-quarter deliveries of 115,000 to 121,000 vehicles. It delivered a combined 77,134 vehicles in July and August, meaning it needs to deliver 37,866 to 43,866 in September to meet the guidance.

Xpeng's flagship GX SUV (sport utility vehicle) delivered 7,338 units in August, a 2.77% increase from the 7,140 units delivered in July, according to the company.

This means the GX accounted for 18.76% of Xpeng's monthly deliveries in August.

As of August 31, cumulative deliveries of the Xpeng GX totaled 21,501 units. The model was launched in China on May 20.

Xpeng debuted another flagship SUV, the G9L, and began pre-sales on August 11, with prices starting at 259,800 yuan ($38,310).

The large 5-seat SUV offers battery electric vehicle (BEV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) versions and will go on sale and begin deliveries in September.

The G9L's production ramp-up will help determine whether Xpeng can approach the upper end of its third-quarter guidance. The model and the already launched 6-seat GX form the company's dual-flagship lineup.

The EV makers's chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng previously said Xpeng would target monthly sales of more than 60,000 in the fourth quarter. That would be about 53% above its August deliveries.

In its robotaxi business, Xpeng secured a permit in August for remote testing of intelligent connected vehicles in Guangzhou, allowing tests on designated roads without an onboard safety operator.

Xpeng also estimates that the EVs it delivered in the first 8 months of the year will reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3.72 million tons compared with the same number of internal combustion engine vehicles.

($1 = 6.7809 yuan)