Huawei Reveals AITO M9 R&D Strategy, Lynk & Co 09 EM-P Launches, Chery Plans Million-Unit Smart Driving Rollout, Xingjiyuan ET Production Begins

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Unveiling AITO M9's Three-Year R&D

In its first week on the market, AITO M9 secured 30,000 firm orders within seven days. This strong debut prompts questions: What makes AITO M9 so appealing, and who is buying it?

A deeper question arises: In the increasingly competitive smart vehicle market of 2024, can Huawei still maintain its "far ahead" lead? Does this leadership stem from driving prices lower or showcasing superior capabilities?

Wang Yanmin, President of Huawei’s Terminal BG Smart Selection Business Department, recently spoke with 42HOW Auto and other media outlets. Key points from the interview follow.

Huawei launched its smart selection business three years ago, at which time the AITO M9 project was already initiated. At that time, the best-selling and most recognized full-size SUVs in China were the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS. Huawei and SERES used these two models as benchmarks.

"M9 is not just a large-space, full-size SUV; it also embodies Huawei’s ambitions in intelligent technology," Wang Yanmin said. Simply copying benchmark models would not work, making the definition of the AITO M9 product crucial.

Wang Yanmin highlighted several details: essential comfort features for every seat, including cup holders, charging ports, and seat adjustments; a flat floor in the second and third rows, rare for SUVs; and an air suspension system, which primarily facilitates easier entry and exit.

"You cannot look only at current competitors because your product will launch three years later. To stay ahead of rivals then, your team needs keen insight and analytical ability," Wang Yanmin said.

Regarding the profile of AITO M9 customers who have placed firm orders, Wang Yanmin shared several key insights:

The majority are upgrading or replacing existing vehicles, with few first-time buyers;

Professions are fairly evenly distributed among business owners, corporate white-collar workers, self-employed individuals, and government employees;

The age range is broad, but there are relatively few buyers under 30;

Male buyers outnumber female buyers;

Extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) models are more popular than pure electric ones;

The high-spec Ultra trim accounts for a very large share.

Additionally, Wang Yanmin provided a preview of other Huawei information, including updates on smart cockpits, driver assistance systems, and new models from Hongmengzhixing.

According to Wang Yanmin, the AITO M9 will be the first to feature Huawei's Pangudamoxing. It is currently undergoing testing and has two primary applications.

First, Xiaoyi, which is based on a large language model (LLM), will become smoother and more human-like in its next version. Second, it will undergo deeper optimization for in-car scenarios, making vehicle usage and maintenance more convenient. Its role will become more diverse, potentially serving as customer service, an assistant, or an expert.

This is not the main point. "We want Huawei's large model to differ from all other companies' models by possessing full autonomous upgrade and iteration capabilities," Wang Yanmin said.

Regarding intelligent driving, Wang Yanmin shared his view on whether cars priced at 150,000 RMB could be equipped with urban autonomous driving features, stating that it is "absolutely impossible."

"Those making such claims are not building it themselves and have no ready products. They may not fully understand how difficult it is to implement autonomous driving within the traditional model of parts suppliers and automakers. As an automaker, if you rely solely on a supplier to provide urban assisted driving while claiming it can be included in a 150,000 RMB car, I believe that is absolutely impossible," Wang Yanmin said. "I think those who say this do not understand the industry well enough."

Regarding new vehicles under Hongmengzhixing, Wang Yanmin revealed that information about a new brand would be announced at Beijingchezhan in late April this year. Additionally, the facelifted AITO M5 will also be released, featuring optimizations in minor details.

Commentary:

Huawei, leveraging nearly three decades of brand and technological accumulation, is exerting unparalleled influence in China's new energy vehicle market. Meanwhile, facing the waves of electrification and intelligence, many automakers have shown an extreme reliance on Huawei.

Driven by aggressive expansion and the collaborative momentum of "working together," Huawei has launched a series of hit models with AITO, starting with the new M7, generating significant market buzz.

However, as Huawei expands its partnerships beyond SERES to include more automakers, effectively mobilizing and coordinating resources between itself and these partners has become a challenging issue. Production capacity has once again emerged as a bottleneck for Huawei product deliveries.

Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P Launched

On January 16, the Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P officially went on sale, offering four trim levels with launch promotional prices as follows:

Six-seat Ultra: RMB 337,800;

Six-seat Halo: RMB 317,800;

Seven-seat Pro: RMB 307,800;

Seven-seat Plus: RMB 297,800.

Notably, to meet the trade-in and repeat-purchase needs of existing Lynk & Co owners, the new Lynk & Co 09 EM-P offers a RMB 30,000 trade-in incentive.

The pre-order channel for the new Lynk & Co 09 EM-P is now open, with nationwide deliveries simultaneously underway.

Next, let’s examine the product strengths of the new Lynk & Co 09 EM-P.

The new Lynk & Co 09 EM-P inherits the brand’s core characteristics in safety and performance. In terms of safety, the Lynk & Co 09 EM-P is built on the SPA architecture, featuring the longest L113 wheelbase in its class and the only front-and-rear hot-formed steel longitudinal beam structure among competitors. It comes standard with dynamic masking headlights and a rollover protection system. Crucially, in the event of a severe offset collision, the Lynk & Co 09 EM-P can sacrifice wheels to protect occupants.

In terms of performance, the Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P is equipped with a powertrain combination of a 2.0 T engine, 3 DHT, and three motors, achieving a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 4.9 seconds. Meanwhile, according to official data, the Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P has a comprehensive fuel consumption of only 1.0 L per 100 kilometers under the WLTC standard, boasting very high fuel economy.

Stepping inside the new Lynk & Co 09 EM-P, you will find a 15.4-inch central control screen with 2.5K resolution. Through OTA updates, users can experience FlymeLink smartphone-car connectivity features on this display.

Turning to the seats, all four front seats of the Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P support heating, ventilation, and an eight-point massage system with three adjustable intensity levels. In terms of comfort features, the Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P demonstrates considerable sincerity.

Commentary:

In fact, since its pre-sale period, the Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P has already received a positive response from the market.

Today, Lynk & Co’s product layout in the new energy sector is gradually becoming more comprehensive. Its sales volume exceeded 220,000 units in 2023, representing a year-on-year growth of 22.3%. With the launch of the Lynk & Co New 09 EM-P, the brand has added another strong force for upward momentum.

Chery’s Intelligent Driving Solution to Reach One Million Units Next Year

Through Dazhuozhineng, Chery has pressed the accelerator on its journey into intelligent driving.

From the perspective of the broader intelligent driving industry, Dazhuozhineng can be considered a latecomer. However, its pace of advancement is not slow.

Dazhuozhineng was founded on February 1, 2023, and is headquartered in Wuhu, Anhui Province, the same city where Chery Group is based. From its inception, it has been positioned as a key strategic layout for Chery Group in the autonomous driving sector, with the goal of developing mass-produced autonomous driving solutions capable of scaling to millions of units.

To this end, Chery Group recruited Dr. Gu Junli, who previously led intelligent driving operations at companies such as Tesla and XPENG, to serve as CEO of Dazhuozhineng.

42HOW Auto learned that over the nearly year since its establishment, Dazhuozhineng has continuously expanded its workforce and established R&D centers in Wuhu, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. It currently boasts an intelligent driving team of more than 500 people. In terms of implementation, Dazhuozhineng’s first vehicle model equipped with standard ADAS achieved mass production by late September 2023.

At this ecosystem day, Dazhuozhineng also showcased its first L2 level assisted driving product Pilot 2.0, which is based on 1VnR and can realize assisted driving functions represented by AEB, LCC, and ACC, with continuous evolution to follow -- Dazhuozhineng told us that this product line will rely on Chery Group's complete vehicle product system to achieve rapid scaled mass production of L2 level assisted driving products.

Additionally, leveraging Chery’s commercial vehicle strategy, Dazhuozhineng maintains a separate product line focused on L4-level Robotaxi services, referred to as the Drive product line.

At the event, we observed this Robotaxi solution deployed on a modified Xingtuxingjiyuan ES vehicle. The car is equipped with seven 2-megapixel cameras, six millimeter-wave radars, and five mechanical LiDAR units. It utilizes a domain controller developed around high-compute chips and integrates HD maps with RTK outdoor high-precision positioning technology. The service will connect to the third-party ride-hailing dispatch platform Maikachuxing, offering passengers urban autonomous door-to-door shuttle services via mobile app ordering from point A to point B.

Regarding this, Gu Junli, CEO of Dazhuozhineng, stated that the company expects to deploy 10,000 unmanned commercial vehicles from its Drive product line by 2026.

However, in terms of large-scale mass production and deployment, high-level intelligent driver assistance at the L2 level remains Dazhuozhineng’s primary focus for near-term implementation.

Gu Junli told us that, according to the product roadmap, Dazhuozhineng will launch its independently mass-produced Pilot 3.0 product in the second quarter of 2024, supporting L2+ functionality, including highway Navigate on Autopilot (NOA). In the first quarter of 2025, the company will release its independently mass-produced Pilot 4.0, which will support L2++ urban NOA capabilities.

From a market deployment perspective, Dazhuozhineng successfully equipped thousands of vehicle models with its L2 products in 2023. The number of mass-produced vehicles featuring Dazhuozhineng solutions is expected to reach between 300,000 and 500,000 units in 2024, and double to one million domestically and one million internationally by 2025.

Additionally, Gu Junli noted that leveraging Chery Group’s international presence across more than 80 countries, Dazhuozhineng operates as an inherently global team serving an inherently global market. Consequently, the company aims to rapidly expand its international deployment footprint over the next two years.

Commentary:

The autonomous driving industry has reached a stage where technological exploration continues, but achieving a viable commercial loop between R&D investment and deployment returns remains a critical challenge for many players, including new automotive entrants.

In Gu Junli's view, the current price war is driven purely by stacking computing power and perception hardware, yet no one is making money. Looking back over the past decade, Tesla has been the only autonomous driving company to truly profit. It achieved profitability by moving up the feature stack while also realizing vertical integration and extreme system simplification, resulting in healthy gross margins for both hardware and software; the core lies in hardware streamlining and vertical integration.

Xingjiyuan ET Rolls Off the Line

On January 19, the first batch of mass-produced Chery Exeed Xingjiyuan ET vehicles rolled off the line at Phase I of Chery’s production base in Wuhu, Anhui Province.

The Xingjiyuan ET is Exeed’s second model following the Xingjiyuan ES, and serves as Chery’s first premium new energy SUV for 2024. According to Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue, the Xingjiyuan ET aims to become a "disruptor" in China’s premium pure electric SUV market.

Under Chery’s plan, the Xingjiyuan ET targets family users and is scheduled for official launch in the first quarter of this year. Based on the pricing range of the Xingjiyuan ES (RMB 198,800–339,800), the Xingjiyuan ET will likely fall within a similar price bracket.

Viewed from this price segment, the Xingjiyuan ET offers highly competitive value for money.

In terms of dimensions, the Xingjiyuan ET measures 4,955 mm in length, 1,975 mm in width, and 1,698 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm, all larger than those of the Tang EV and XPENG G9. Additionally, its interior volume reaches 3.45 cubic meters, offering more space than the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

In terms of design, the Xingjiyuan ET continues the front-end styling of the Xingjiyuan ES, featuring a full-width daytime running light paired with ISD Wind Whisper interactive lights, creating a modern and high-tech appearance.

Inside, the Xingjiyuan ET adopts the 'Star Motion Bar' concept for its cabin design. The center console uses natural solid wood materials, includes a double-layer storage compartment, and is surrounded by extensive ambient lighting to create various atmospheres. Notably, the Xingjiyuan ET's central touchscreen can slide toward the passenger seat, and the center console can move forward and backward, enhancing the cabin's versatility and flexibility.

Regarding safety, the Xingjiyuan ET has undergone tests exceeding national standards, including freezing, fire exposure, and immersion, demonstrating strong reliability and stability. It is worth mentioning that the Xingjiyuan ET has also obtained the 'NESTA Six-Dimensional Electric Safety' certificate from Zhongqizhongxin (China Automotive Technology and Research Center).

For other configurations of the Xingjiyuan ET, we will have to wait for its official launch.

Commentary:

If the launch of the Xingjiyuan ES established a premium tone for the Xingjiyuan series, then with the Xingjiyuan ET, the series must truly begin to achieve significant sales volumes.

The 200,000–300,000 RMB automotive market is already highly competitive; under the influence of new energy vehicles, this segment has become even more intense. For Chery, accelerating its transition to new energy and securing its position in this track leaves no alternative but to rely on sales volume as the sharpest weapon—the pressure on the Xingjiyuan ET is considerable.

Written by: Isaiah Edited by: Isaiah