Volkswagen has finally admitted that trying to out-China China wasn’t working. So, with sales sliding faster than a hatchback on cheap tyres, it’s called in Xpeng for the automotive equivalent of the Berlin Airlift. Instead of dropping flour and fuel, though, the mission is delivering cutting-edge EV tech before VW becomes yesterday’s news.

Meet the new Volkswagen ID. Unyx 09. It’s a 5.1-metre-long electric fastback that looks like it’s been spending too much time in the gym. Wide arches, a low roofline, 21-inch wheels and Brembo brakes all scream “performance”, even if it tips the scales at well over 2.3 tonnes.

There are two flavours. The sensible one gets a single rear motor producing 308bhp. The one you’ll actually want bolts on a second motor up front for a combined 496bhp, enough to shove this electric leviathan to a 200km/h top speed. Power comes from CATL’s LFP batteries, assembled locally by Volkswagen Anhui, because if you’re going to survive in China, you’d better start acting like a Chinese carmaker.

The gadget count is suitably outrageous. Matrix LED headlights can project lane guides and even the car’s width onto the road ahead, making night driving feel more like a video game than a commute. A panoramic glass roof is available, and the whole thing looks aimed squarely at buyers who think a Tesla is too common and a Porsche Taycan too expensive.

The ID. Unyx 09 is the latest chapter in Volkswagen’s Chinese reinvention, following the Unyx 07 and 08. More importantly, it’s another sign that Europe’s biggest carmaker has accepted a harsh reality: if it wants to win back Chinese buyers, it won’t do it with German engineering alone. It’ll need a healthy dose of Xpeng’s know-how too.