UPDATE 1-China's Xpeng warns of slump in vehicle deliveries after Q3 loss widens

(Adds details on outlook, CEO comment, background, share price)

Nov 30 (Reuters) - Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng on Wednesday warned that its vehicle deliveries could more than halve in the current three-month period, and reported a wider loss for the third quarter due to a rise in expenses. Electric vehicle makers like Xpeng, Nio, and Li Auto Inc have had to contend with China's zero-COVID policy in the wake of a recent surge in new cases that has disrupted production of everything from cars to mobile phones and hit the manufacturing sector.

Xpeng expects its vehicle deliveries in the fourth quarter ending Dec. 31 to be between 20,000 and 21,000, about 49.7% to 52.1% lower than the 41,751 units delivered last year.

It also forecast a 40.4%-43.9% drop in fourth quarter revenue to between 4.8 billion yuan ($677.49 million) and 5.1 billion yuan.