Aito has launched a five-seat variant of its flagship SUV, the M9, at a starting price of RMB 469,800 ($66,000), following the success of the six-seat version in the luxury SUV market.
Huawei-backed new energy-vehicle (NEV) brand, Aito, has launched a five-seat variant of its flagship SUV (sport utility vehicle) model, the M9, in a bid to expand its potential user base.
The Chinese tech giant launched the five-seat version of the Aito M9 mid-to-large-size SUV at an event today at a starting price of RMB 469,800 ($66,000), a new option for five-seat luxury SUVs in the Chinese market.
Like the six-seat variant, the five-seat Aito M9 is available in extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV) options.
The five-seat Aito M9 EREV is available in two variants with a starting price of RMB 469,800 and RMB 529,800 respectively. Its BEV variant has only one option with a starting price of RMB 569,800.
The five-seat variant has the same dimensions as the six-seat variant, measuring 5,230 mm in length, 1,999 mm in width and 1,800 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,110 mm.
Its EREV variants are all powered by a 1.5T engine and dual electric motors with a peak power of 165 kW at the front and 230 kW at the rear. The powertrain allows the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.
Its BEV variant is powered by dual electric motors with 160 kW and 230 kW peak power at the front and rear motors respectively, allowing the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds.
The two EREV variants are powered by Li-ion ternary battery packs with capacities of 42 kWh and 52 kWh, which provides CLTC battery ranges of 225 kilometers and 275 kilometers, respectively.
The BEV variant is based on Huawei's 800 V Giant Whale platform and carries a Li-ion ternary battery pack with a capacity of 100 kWh and a CLTC range of 630 kilometers.
The five-seat version of the SUV supports Huawei's ADS 3.0 intelligent driving system and the hardware includes a LiDAR with 192 channels.
The current delivery wait time for the model is 6-9 weeks, Huawei said.
Initially launched on December 26, 2023, the Aito M9 is previously only available in six-seat versions with a starting price of RMB 469,800. Volume deliveries of the model began at the end of February this year.
Huawei's parts and software support make the model a rare success among luxury SUVs from a local brand priced in the RMB 500,000 class.
On June 26, Aito said the M9 had received more than 100,000 firm orders after six months on the market, placing it as the top-selling luxury vehicle priced at more than RMB 500,000.
At today's launch, Huawei said that the Aito M9 has accumulated more than 130,000 firm orders in the eight months since its launch.
Since March this year, the model has delivered a total of 86,183 vehicles, including more than 18,000 in July, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
Apart from launching the five-seat version of the Aito M9, Huawei at today's event also started pre-sales of its Luxeed R7 SUV, which it has jointly built with Chery, at a starting price of RMB 268,000 yuan.
The Luxeed R7 is the first coupe SUV under Huawei's HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) business, and was already on a regulatory filing list in July.
Huawei to transfer Aito trademarks and patents it holds to Seres for $340 million
($1 = RMB 7.1188)
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