Article | Luo Ji

To be honest, before the launch of the JiKe 009, I didn’t pay much attention to this car, not because I don’t like MPV models, but because in the past two years, newly launched high-end MPVs have repeatedly disappointed me.

When I saw Li Xiang’s Weibo post that went viral, my initial reaction was: is it really necessary? It’s just another new MPV that’s trying to make up the numbers and it doesn’t pose a threat to your L9, which sells tens of thousands of units per month.

However, after watching the launch event of JiKe 009, I realized that I really like this car. It deserves Li Xiang’s attention and the attention of all existing and future players in the high-end MPV market. Finally, a new species has appeared in the MPV field.

JiKe 009, a product that wants it all

With an average selling price of over 300,000 yuan, the JiKe 001 has already crossed the threshold into the luxury market. However, it was surprising to see that the JiKe 009 was priced at 499,000 to 588,000 yuan. After all, except for the Elfa, the best-selling MPVs in the market, such as the Senya and GL8, only sell for about 400,000 yuan at most. New energy MPVs like the DENZA D9 and Voyah Dreamer, which are pure electric models, start at less than 400,000 yuan. Why did JiKe dare to set the price of the 009 at nearly 500,000 yuan?

Or in other words, why did JiKe develop a 500-600,000 yuan product when it could have built a low-risk 400,000 yuan MPV?

During the launch event, An Conghui, who presided over the event for more than an hour, mentioned something unknown to many people: in 2010, Geely spent 1 billion yuan developing an MPV, but it was personally cancelled by An Conghui. The reason was that they were unable to build an MPV that met basic requirements in terms of performance, safety, handling, comfort, and space, given the technological and platform limitations at the time, or, according to Geely’s standards at the time, they were unable to fully achieve in all aspects.

Bringing up this issue at the JIDX 009 release event has a somewhat bittersweet effect, but what is more critical is that this precise failure reflects JIDX 009’s positioning and product strength. This is because the issues that were previously impossible to solve have been eliminated on 009.

The once “unrealistic” demand for both MPVs is no longer unrealistic on 009, which has the identity of the “world’s first native pure electric MPV.” When we see what JIDX 009 “wants,” we can understand why it dares to set such a price.

Key Point 1: Power

We usually regard space as the core competitiveness of an MPV, but for current car manufacturers, achieving spaciousness is not difficult. Traditional MPV models sacrifice a series of other areas to achieve maximum space while keeping the dimensions limited. A genuine good MPV needs to minimize compromises in other areas while ensuring basic space.

Power is one aspect. In the era of fuel, larger engines and gearboxes would compete for space with the passenger compartment, and the design of the compressed engine compartment also limited the size of the powertrain. Therefore, no matter how large the traditional MPV is, the power is always slightly weaker than mainstream SUVs and sedans. With the consideration of higher fully loaded burden, power becomes even more inadequate.This question is the easiest one for the pure electric platform, Zeekr 009. The natural advantage of electric motors in terms of power performance is fully utilized. Zeekr did not care about how strong the acceleration performance of the MPV needs to be, and directly equipped the entire lineup with a total of 544 horsepower dual motors, achieving a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 4.5 seconds, directly winning the title of the world’s fastest MPV.

Point 2: Handling

In terms of acceleration performance, in fact, any new energy MPV driven by an electric motor can easily guarantee it, but in the much more challenging and difficult “handling” aspect, it is a problem that is several times more difficult to solve.

In fact, people are quite tolerant of MPV’s handling ability because we all know the purpose of buying MPVs. As drivers, whether professional drivers or family drivers, they will not have unrealistic requirements. With this background, when car companies develop MPVs, they tend to overlook the handling ability.

This rare “consideration” from consumers did not make Zeekr compromise easily, because safety and handling are the foundation of the Zeekr brand, and even the most difficult MPV cannot be an exception. The sentence “Zeekr-style handling” spoken at the press conference must be accompanied by far more efforts than competitors.

The first point to ensure excellent handling is to insist on using high-spec double-wishbone front suspension. Currently, the popular MPVs on the market, regardless of price, level or size, almost without exception use the Macpherson front suspension, which is small in size and has limited handling potential. The only exception is the Lansheng Dreamer, which has a smaller market share but benefits from a new energy platform and uses double-wishbone front suspension.Actually, in order to minimize the invasion of cabin space, even the non-independent torsion beam structure is commonly used in lower-level MPVs. It is difficult to achieve the combination of the front double wishbone suspension and the rear integrated multi-link suspension in traditional fuel-based MPV models.

In addition, another handling problem that pure electric platforms solve is the high center of gravity of traditional MPV models. During high-speed or cornering, there will be a problem of drifting and excessive leaning, which not only affects passenger experience but also increases the risk of accidents.

This problem is perfectly solved in pure electric MPVs. The huge battery pack set under the chassis greatly lowers the vehicle’s center of gravity, coupled with the excessive power and high-spec suspension system of the Zeekra 009, allowing this MPV, which is over 5.2 meters long, to have the confidence to talk about handling experience.

Key Point 3: Safety

Safety is another compromise that MPVs have to make for internal space. We have already had a clear understanding of this issue in the collision tests we conducted before. “Thin skin and big filling” is the characteristic of MPVs realizing space, but it is also the root of affecting their active and passive safety.

In the fossil fuel era, except for high-cost measures that greatly increase the material specifications, car companies can hardly do anything about it. However, for pure electric platforms of MPVs, the problem is easily solved.

First of all, the natural blessing brought by the battery pack greatly enhances the MPV’s defense ability in the event of a side impact, and without the engine and gearbox, there is more space for the front cabin to cushion the impact in case of a front collision. At this point, what Zeekra needs to focus on is the risk of third-row passengers facing rear-end accidents.

Due to the priority of space positioning, the third-row seats of many MPVs are pushed back to the limit, with only a few centimeters of distance between the heads of third-row passengers and the tailgate or rear window. Even without accidents, passengers are always in a state of worry or even fear of rear-end collisions.

However, the Zeekr 009 did not sacrifice safety space for seating space. The distance between the third-row seats and the tailgate is kept considerable. Whether it is a mid-to-large-sized or large-sized MPV or three-row SUV, the Zeekr 009 has one of the widest distances, which not only ensures safety but also allows for up to 590 liters of cargo space in the trunk in the standard three-row seating configuration.

In addition to safety considerations in its design, Zeekr has consistently had standards that exceed the industry level in terms of material usage in all aspects related to safety. The combination of materials and design has also enabled the Zeekr 009 to have overall safety performance that is not inferior to that of sedans or SUVs.

The fourth point to note is styling. Yes, for today’s MPV market, especially in the mid-to-large-sized and large-sized segments, styling, which seems to be the most superficial area, has become a difficult problem.

At the press conference, An Conghui specifically joked about the “Alphardization” of the front face of popular MPVs. In addition, the overall styling of the side and rear also poses problems of being bulky and rigid, which makes veteran drivers resistant at first sight. Ordinary families who need three-row seats also tend to choose larger SUVs at the expense of space and comfort due to the appearance.

In this regard, the pure electric native platform has given Ji Ke 009 a greater space for development, but more importantly, it is the efforts made by the Ji Ke designers that have contributed to its success.

The design of Ji Ke 009 did not receive unanimous praise, and there were even malicious taunts online. However, those with a certain sense of aesthetics cannot deny the outstanding sense of technology, futurism, and luxury car atmosphere of Ji Ke 009. The earlier noise will not become a real obstacle to Ji Ke 009’s success.

For the real target customers, Ji Ke 009 is like a rare fresh air. Under the overall rich and personalized styling, it is the effect brought by a series of new designs and new processes. Without much evaluation of the overall styling, the dual A-pillar design of Ji Ke 009 uses a surface glass with extreme curvature on the outside, making the entire front part a whole, and helping this 5.2-meter-long and more than 2-meter-wide behemoth achieve a super low drag coefficient of 0.27Cd.

Leaving aside the debate on aesthetic superiority, Ji Ke 009 has at least allowed many consumers who are concerned about the bulky body of MPVs to accept it willingly.The following four “requirements” are all based on the pure electric native platform of Zeekr 009, which solves the old problems of MPV models that have plagued them for many years. We haven’t discussed its performance in terms of space and comfort as an MPV, but in these four aspects, the performance of Zeekr 009 has already given it the confidence to be priced at 500,000 to 600,000 yuan. From the perspective of daily use, what kind of experience can this MPV bring to passengers?

Your next MPV has to be an MPV

When Apple was promoting its iPad series products two years ago, it used the slogan “Why your next computer should be a computer” So far, the appearance of Ideal L9 has made me realize that MPV is no longer the best choice for purchasing a household three-row seat model. And today’s Zeekr 009, makes people can’t help but exclaim: Your next MPV still has to be an MPV.

First of all, the double-sided electric sliding doors provide a passenger experience that sedans and SUVs cannot replace regardless of how they try. Although daily domestic use does not require too much pursuit of this ultimate experience of details, once you enter the car, when all aspects of the ride are at another level, the attractiveness of the MPV becomes hard to resist.

The center control design of Zeekr 009 can be omitted. Its real essence is on the rear two rows of seats.

First of all, the seat layout is different from most MPVs under 500,000 yuan. Zeekr 009’s second-row seats directly eliminate the middle aisle and maximize the width of the two independent seats, each with fixed armrests on both sides. In addition to being wider and more comfortable when raised, they can also incorporate functional operation tables within reach on the armrests, as well as high-end small desk boards embedded in the armrests.Don’t worry about accessing the third row, whether inside or outside the car, the JiKe 009 has a one-key adjustment function for the second-row seat position to make way for the third-row passageway. I particularly noticed that the electric adjustment speed of the second-row seats is quite fast, and passengers who are ready to enter the third row will not be delayed awkwardly. After the adjustment is in place, the posture of entering and exiting the third row is also quite graceful, which is much more impressive than entering and exiting from the middle of the second row.

It is worth mentioning that the JiKe 009 is one of the few (or perhaps the only) MPVs equipped with both air suspension and electromagnetic induction suspension, which not only improves driving control and comfort but also lowers the height of the car body to only 36cm during the boarding and alighting process, which can provide a more comfortable experience for the elderly and children compared to SUVs and many MPVs at the same level.

When it comes to functional configuration, for a price range of 500,000-600,000 yuan, the JiKe 009 definitely doesn’t need to worry. Here are some of the rare configurations of the JiKe 009 that exceed those of the same level or higher-level competitors: electric suction door, rear seat massage, adjustable third-row backrest angle, rear LCD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processor, rear ceiling-mounted LCD screen, and 20 speakers, all of which are standard on the JiKe 009. After a detailed comparison of configurations, it can be concluded that whether it is a million-yuan imported fuel MPV or Chinese brand MPVs at various price levels, the comprehensive configuration of the JiKe 009 is basically the highest.Actually, the only model that can be compared with JEEKEE 009 in terms of configuration and price is the Ideal L9. Although both models are 6-seater layout and have similar strength, the difference in product type still leads to some differences in user experience.

In summary, for household scenarios, Ideal L9 provides a good alternative to MPVs, while the emergence of JEEKEE 009 proves that a truly excellent MPV can still bring advantages that cannot be replaced by SUVs and sedans. Especially for business and household purposes, it gives MPV models sufficient vitality.

At the JEEKEE 009 launch event, An Conghui first mentioned the delivery volume of JEEKEE 001 last month, which exceeded 10,000 units for the first time. This car has also won the sales crown of pure electric vehicles over 300,000 RMB for three consecutive months. Since JEEKEE 001 was launched, it has only been a year and a half.

In addition to JEEKEE, Ideal L9 has also achieved remarkable success. By lowering the price to over 450,000 RMB, it achieved a delivery volume of over 10,000 units in its first month, showing the potential of Chinese brands in the high-end market and the recognition of high-budget consumers for Chinese brands.

Just half a year ago, if I had heard that JEEKEE was going to launch an MPV with a starting price of nearly 500,000 RMB, I would have sneered. However, after seeing the actual product strength of JEEKEE 009, I have to admire JEEKEE’s confidence and courage in attacking the luxury market, as well as its judgment on the development of the high-end market.

As an MPV, JEEKEE 009 has solved the problems that its predecessors have not solved, and as a Chinese brand model, it has led national car companies to climb up a level.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.