Recreating Luxury, Zeekr 9X Goes All Out

After years of market honing, the launch of the 9X is bound to be a major turning point in Zeekr's brand development, with significant implications.

For a long time, Zeekr's main sales models have been concentrated around 250,000 yuan, and the mission of breaking through the brand's upper limits relies entirely on the Zeekr 009, which targets the high-end MPV market. Given that the market is increasingly leaning towards range-extended and plug-in hybrid technologies, Zeekr needs to leverage this trend to realize its brand transformation while stimulating the potential of the pure electric market.

On the day of its official launch, the price of the Geely Zeekr 9X surpassed the price ceiling of Zeekr's SUV products, forming a dual flagship with the Zeekr 009. This move further places the Zeekr brand's pricing range directly into the core territory of traditional luxury brands, which is undoubtedly a positive development.

In contrast, with the Zeekr 9X showcasing exceptional product strength and standing out in the niche market, it is once again challenging BBA (BMW, Benz, Audi) in a different manner than the Li Auto L9 and AITO M9. This not only provides the brand itself with another way to break through but also opens up new ideas in the entire Chinese automotive sector: Chinese luxury can also be defined without relying on big TVs, refrigerators, and large sofas as its foundation.

The shift from "technology following" to "technology defining" is seeing Chinese brands attempt to move from the past strategy of "piling on features" to participating in defining the standards for the new era of luxury cars. In a few years, when computing power, range, and intelligent driving experience become the new criteria for selecting a car, Chinese brands like Zeekr, with their early advantages in the new energy field, may potentially reconstruct the value assessment system of the century-old automotive industry.

"13 minutes, sales surpass 10,000 vehicles!" After the press conference just ended, Geely Auto Group CEO Gan Jiayue excitedly introduced to the visiting guests.

For the Zeekr 9X, a full-size SUV priced between 465,900 to 599,900 yuan, the reason it has achieved such success may not only be the speed of order growth but also the quality of Chinese car brands breaking into the high-end market. Behind this figure is the result of high-end luxury brand customers voting with their wallets.

In the research conducted by Zeekr, since the debut of the Zeekr 9X, most potential users are not first-time car buyers but rather consumers with a mature understanding of luxury. They come from traditional luxury brands such as Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, and are well aware of what constitutes a good product and service. The fact that the Zeekr 9X can attract this group means that its product quality can withstand scrutiny.

At the press conference, under the introduction of senior executives from Zeekr, including Gan Jiaye, we clearly understand that the Zeekr 9X, as a full-size SUV built on the all-stack 900V high-voltage hybrid architecture, indeed achieves generational leadership in multiple technical dimensions.

It is equipped with the world's first three-motor megawatt-level hybrid electric drive system, with a total power exceeding 1000 kilowatts and a combined output of over 1400 horsepower, equivalent to three traditional V12 engines. Its 0-100 km/h acceleration is within the 3-second range, making it the world's fastest accelerating flagship SUV.

Developed in collaboration with CATL, the 900V hybrid-specific battery offers a 70 kWh large battery solution, achieving an all-electric range of 380 kilometers, the highest among plug-in hybrid products worldwide. Both battery solutions support 6C ultra-fast charging, taking only 9 minutes to charge from 20% to 80%, effectively addressing the long-standing issue of range anxiety for users.

The Zeekr 9X is equipped with the groundbreaking Haohan AI digital chassis, with all models featuring a closed dual-chamber air suspension and dual-valve CCD electromagnetic shock absorbers. It also introduces the 48V active stabilizer bar technology, a first for Chinese brands.

In the field of safety, the Zeekr 9X features a high proportion of high-strength steel and aluminum alloy, reaching 91%. It is equipped with the world's only "four-in-one integrated safety structure," achieving the strongest torsional rigidity in its class at 41600 N·m/deg.

In terms of intelligence, the Zeekr 9X is equipped with dual NVIDIA Thor chips, achieving a total computing power of 1400 TOPS. It also features the Qianli Haohan H9 auxiliary driving solution, which provides the technical architecture necessary for L3-level intelligent driving assistance capabilities, thus preparing for the realization of higher-level driving scenarios in the future.

In summary, there's no need to say much more. All these technical details illustrate that the Zeekr 9X is redefining the standards of luxury cars in its own way. Unlike traditional luxury cars that focus on materials, craftsmanship, and brand history, the Zeekr 9X aims to prove to everyone that technological experience can also bring added value to a product.

Broadly speaking, as China's automotive industry transitions from "scale development" to "value creation," moving away from "survival through imitation" and returning to the realm of "innovation-driven development," Zeekr's achievement of over 10,000 orders within 13 minutes with the 9X may indicate that Chinese automotive brands now have the qualifications and strength to take center stage on the world stage.

"Luxury on top of luxury."

Since the debut of the Zeekr 9X, this slogan has become the mission that this car is determined to accomplish. Now it seems that the Zeekr 9X has indeed achieved it.

To be honest, on the road to recreating luxury with the Zeekr 9X, there are bound to be some challenges. Especially in the luxury car market, brand premium capability is crucial in the million-level market; consumers not only purchase products but also place great importance on the historical and cultural value behind the brand. Even in the era of new energy, under the education of some new forces, the closed-loop experience of users has also become a part of the premium, such as the coverage density and service quality of supercharging and battery swap networks, which will directly affect the actual experience of high-end users.

From Zeekr's perspective, since the technology they possess can form a systematic product moat, it is always reasonable to launch a car like the 9X in this market.

In the community, we often refer to the Zeekr 9X as the "Cullinan of Hangzhou Bay," but in fact, we can already see a way of life that differs from the past of Chinese cars reflected in it.

Perhaps at this stage, it is simply because the price war has swept across the entire industry, making it impossible for most new cars launched in this period to have any premium pricing. Regardless of their level and positioning, brand and image, the only signal that the outside world can perceive is that "new cars are getting cheaper."

However, it should be noted that since the planning of Zeekr includes the Zeekr 9X alongside the Zeekr 009 as part of its "dual flagship" lineup, it will not only challenge the traditional luxury market structure but also undoubtedly assist Chinese automobiles in completing their transformation.

Currently, it can be said that the Zeekr 9X can leverage its superior configuration compared to traditional luxury brands in the same price range, as well as its leading electrification and intelligent experience, to create a significant "cost-performance" advantage, gradually breaking down the monopoly of overseas brands in the high-end market, which is certainly not unfounded.

In summary, the launch of the Zeekr 9X marks a turning point in the upward development of the Zeekr brand and represents a strong push by the Chinese automotive industry to ascend to the top of the global value chain. It not only carries Zeekr's brand aspirations but also embodies the belief that the Chinese automotive industry is determined to reshape the luxury car market landscape in the era of new energy.

Perhaps this journey still has a long way to go, but from Gan Jiayue and Lin Jie to everyone within the Zeekr system, in order to achieve this goal, the Zeekr 9X has chosen to fully arm itself and has broken through the value benchmark of the segmented market with a price range of 465,900 to 599,900 yuan. At least at this stage, it has clearly become a brave attempt for Chinese automobiles to ascend.