Zeekr 009 Delivery Begins in Record Time; AITO Cuts Prices; NIO Offers Free Highway Battery Swaps for Spring Festival

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Zeekr 009 Begins Deliveries: Fastest Delivery Record?

On January 15, Zeekr 009, the first pure electric MPV under Zeekr Intelligent Technology, began delivery as scheduled.

As Zeekr’s second model, the Zeekr 009 achieved delivery just 76 days after its November 1 launch—a pace that may currently be the fastest among Chinese pure electric brands.

Delivery ceremonies were held at Zeekr centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and other cities, with senior executives from Zeekr Intelligent Technology personally handing over vehicles to the first batch of owners in select locations.

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The rapid delivery timeline suggests further iteration in Zeekr’s development and production processes for its second model.

Earlier, Conghui An told media outlets that the Zeekr brand aims to double its sales volume in 2023 to approximately 140,000 units. For reference, Zeekr sold 71,941 units in 2022, driven entirely by the Zeekr 001.

After Zeekr updated the 2023 Model 001, its cost-effectiveness was further enhanced with the addition of 86 kWh and 140 kWh battery options, broadening its appeal to a wider consumer base.

So, how much sales volume can we expect the 2023 Zeekr 009 to contribute?

AITO Announces Price Cuts and Loyalty Rewards for Existing Owners

Starting at 8:30 AM on January 13, AITO Qiche announced price reductions for the AITO M5 EV and M7 models, with discounts reaching up to RMB 30,000. The company also introduced compensation benefits for existing owners who have already taken delivery of their vehicles.

The specific price reduction details are as follows:

M5 EV Rear-Wheel Drive Standard Edition: RMB 259,800 (down by RMB 28,800);

M5 EV Four-Wheel Drive Performance Edition: RMB 289,800 (down by RMB 30,000);

AITO M7 Comfort trim: RMB 289,800 (down by RMB 30,000);

AITO M7 Luxury trim: RMB 309,800 (down by RMB 30,000).

Additionally, for owners who took delivery before 08:30 on January 13, 2023, AITO offered the following benefits:

All AITO M5 models receive two years of free basic maintenance;

First owners of all AITO M5 EV models have their vehicle warranty extended to eight years or 160,000 kilometers, and receive 120,000 AITO points, valued at approximately RMB 33,000;

First owners of the AITO M7 Comfort and Luxury trims have their vehicle warranty extended to eight years or 160,000 kilometers, and receive 120,000 AITO points, valued at approximately RMB 33,000;

First owners of the AITO M7 Flagship trim have their vehicle warranty extended to eight years or 160,000 kilometers.

Quick Review:

After the price cut, the AITO M5 EV is priced similarly to the Tesla Model Y rear-wheel-drive version, while the AITO M7 Luxury Edition matches the Model Y Long Range in price. This direct price confrontation is unmistakable.

The primary goal of the price reduction is to boost sales. Unlike Tesla, AITO did not use complex justifications; instead, it labeled this move as a "New Year Gratitude Return" and offered existing owners 120,000 points along with extended warranty services.

Lowering prices to attract new customers while simultaneously compensating existing ones is both logical and reasonable. In response to Tesla's price cuts, AITO has set a strong example that many competitors are likely to follow in the future.

Free Battery Swapping on Highways During Spring Festival! NIO Announces Promotions

From January 13 to February 5, NIO announced that all 346 highway battery swap stations across China will provide unlimited free battery swapping services for all NIO vehicles (excluding commercial vehicles). Highway service area swap stations will operate 24 hours a day, offering greater convenience for travelers during the Spring Festival.

To date, NIO has built a total of 1,307 battery swap stations in the Chinese market, including 346 highway stations, completing a high-speed battery swap network layout covering five vertical routes, three horizontal routes, and eight major urban agglomerations:

5 North-South Arterials: G1 Jingha Expressway, G2 Jinghu Expressway, G4 Jinggang'ao Expressway, G5 Jingkun Expressway, and G15 Shenhai Expressway;

3 East-West Arterials: G50 Huyu Expressway, the Su-Shaanxi section of G30 Lianhuo Expressway, and the Hu-Xiang section of G60 Hukun Expressway;

8 Major City Clusters: Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Greater Bay Area, Chengdu-Chongqing, Shandong Peninsula, Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, and Central Plains.

Meanwhile, NIO released its 2023 Spring Festival travel service guarantee plan. Throughout the holiday, a team of more than 5,000 people will be deployed to ensure service quality. The coverage spans six scenarios: power replenishment services, road rescue, roadside service supply stations, maintenance and repair, value-added services, and online exclusive service groups, safeguarding users' journeys home for the Spring Festival.

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With the relaxation of pandemic policies this year, the number of travelers returning to their hometowns for the Spring Festival is expected to exceed that of the previous two years, bringing the highest passenger volume on national highways in recent years. It is foreseeable that both gas stations and charging stations at highway service areas will face long queues.

NIO had earlier laid out its battery swap stations at highway service areas, now connecting most major expressway routes nationwide. This provides NIO owners with a superior energy replenishment experience for long-distance travel compared to other EV drivers.

With NIO announcing unlimited free battery swaps at its highway stations during the Spring Festival, more NIO owners are likely to choose their vehicles for travel. It remains to be seen whether the highway swap stations can handle this surge in demand. We look forward to hearing from NIO owners about their experiences with highway battery swapping during the holiday on our official community platform.

Jihu KAOLA Debuts as Family-Focused Vehicle

On January 9, Jihu’s KAOLA was officially unveiled, marketed as the "world's first intelligent family car." As Jihu's first scenario-driven product, the KAOLA is designed around the needs of family travel, offering a suite of tailored solutions.

To address the specific requirements of traveling with children, the Jihu KAOLA features six exclusive design elements. Most notably, recognizing that parents often struggle to open doors while holding a child and luggage, both rear side doors are equipped with electric sliding mechanisms. These doors feature welcome lights that respond to foot gestures; touching the light triggers the corresponding rear door to open automatically. Additionally, the child seat located behind the driver’s seat rotates automatically, facilitating easier placement of the child into the safety seat.

The vehicle also includes a high-definition camera in the rear cabin, which streams real-time video of the child to the central control screen, allowing the parent to monitor them easily. The camera can also track the child’s condition, detecting signs of crying, overheating, or potential diaper changes. In such cases, the system either initiates automated responses or prompts the driver via the central screen.

In terms of interaction, the KAOLA supports four-zone voice recognition, enabling continuous conversation and "what you see is what you say" functionality. The voice assistant displays various states, including listening, surprise, execution, and reminders. Voice commands have been customized for children: when a child requests stories, the system plays relevant audio content. However, if a child makes unreasonable requests, such as asking to open a window, the assistant politely declines.

Furthermore, numerous details underscore that this vehicle was purpose-built for family travel.

Quick Review:

As a product targeting a specific niche, the Jihu KAOLA incorporates unique design elements tailored to family needs, addressing requirements often overlooked by other models.

However, accommodating these specific needs necessitated certain compromises. For instance, the vehicle features only four seats, one of which is an electric child safety seat, limiting passenger capacity to three adults and making it unsuitable for frequent multi-passenger transport.

Additionally, the single electric child seat fails to meet the needs of families with twins or multiple children, further restricting its target demographic.

The Jihu KAOLA resembles vehicles designed for niche enthusiasts: while its audience may be small, it precisely addresses specific pain points.

DENZA D9 Q1 OTA Enhances Driver Assistance; Two New SUVs to Launch This Year

On January 11, 2023, DENZA held the 2023 DENZA Automotive Communication Day.

In the just-concluded 2022, the DENZA brand achieved a breakthrough from zero to one following its rebranding. On May 16, 2022, the brand was refreshed and the DENZA D9 was officially unveiled; it rolled off the production line on October 21 and deliveries began on October 25. The D9 has now secured more than fifty thousand orders and cumulative deliveries have exceeded ten thousand, making it the fastest high-end MPV to surpass ten thousand in deliveries.

DENZA also announced that the DENZA D9 will receive its first OTA update in the first quarter of 2023. This update will primarily enhance driver-assistance capabilities, including: ICC Intelligent Navigation (highway and expressway), LDA Lane Departure Assist, ELKA Emergency Lane Keep Assist, APA Auto Parking Assist, and ILCA Interactive Lane Change Assist.

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At the event, DENZA showcased the owner composition of the D9: 50% BBA luxury car users, 25% 6/7-seat SUV users, 15% luxury fuel MPV owners, and 10% BYD trade-in or replacement buyers; among these, approximately 15% are women. Additionally, DENZA announced its upcoming model planning, which is divided into five major series, distinguished by the initials of DENZA.

Two SUVs with N-letter designations will be released this year: the N7, and a mid-to-large SUV with 6- or 7-seat layouts.

By Jiang Xiaohei Edited by Liu Guangding