There is no fixed timeline for automakers to launch their high-end 9-series flagship models. Some brands will never add a 9-series variant to their product lineup, while others roll out flagship 9-series vehicles based on market competition strategies and brand upgrading demands.
Established luxury brands usually spend an extremely long time incubating their flagship products. Audi serves as a typical example. In September 2005, Audi unveiled its first SUV Q7 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, officially launching the Q-series SUV portfolio. After a 21-year wait, the brand’s first-ever Q-series 9-series flagship SUV, the Q9, is scheduled to make its global debut in July 2026, with deliveries to Chinese customers starting in early 2027.
In stark contrast to German legacy luxury automakers, China’s new-energy vehicle startups have adopted an accelerated development pace. In the first half of 2026, five leading domestic new-energy brands—NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, AITO and Zeekr—successively released their 9-series flagship full-size SUVs, namely the ES9, GX, L9 Livis, the new M9 and 9X. All of these brands developed and launched their inaugural 9-series models in less than a decade since their founding.
Essentially, there is no fundamental difference between 7-series and 9-series models. Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the number "9" symbolizes perfection and supremacy, earning it an inherent flagship attribute and making it a universal symbol of a brand’s peak manufacturing capability across the Chinese market.
The concentrated launch of these five domestic 9-series flagship SUVs has sparked an intense price and product competition within the $70,000+ full-size luxury SUV segment. Boasting oversized body dimensions, state-of-the-art intelligent configurations and full-by-wire intelligent chassis, these models have continuously squeezed the market share of German flagships including the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS and Audi Q7, dismantling the last solid moat built by BBA in the high-end fuel-powered luxury SUV sector.
Behind this fierce competition lies a clear consumer trend: Chinese buyers prefer large-sized SUVs that deliver an enhanced sense of prestige during travel. The NIO ES9 stretches 5,365 millimeters in length, while the extended ultra-luxury version of the new AITO M9 exceeds 5.4 meters—surpassing most mainstream MPVs in body size. In comparison with full-size luxury fuel SUVs, their dimensions are nearly on par with the extended Lincoln Navigator (5.6 meters). It is predictable that super-sized "presidential-grade" passenger vehicles will soon become a common sight on Chinese roads.
Beyond the blind pursuit of larger exterior dimensions, this new generation of 9-series flagship SUVs carries profound industrial significance. All models are engineered to meet Level 3 autonomous driving standards, with ample redundant reserves for sensors, onboard computing power and chassis hardware. Equipped with steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems, they are fully prepared for future OTA upgrades to support Level 4 high-level autonomous driving.
In terms of product definition, these domestic flagship SUVs have comprehensively outperformed legacy luxury flagships from BBA. On the positive side, it proves that the end-to-end self-research systems built by NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, Zeekr and Huawei after years of intensive investment have matured completely. On the flip side, homogenization has become an unavoidable industry pain point. Premium features such as built-in refrigerators, large entertainment screens and premium seating have become standard across the segment, and technical routes for intelligent driving and chassis systems have gradually converged.
To escape low-price homogeneous competition, major brands have adopted differentiated positioning via targeted marketing strategies to redefine their products. The NIO ES9 is positioned as a tech-driven executive flagship SUV; the XPeng GX is defined as a physical AI flagship; the Li Auto L9 Livis is labeled an embodied intelligence luxury flagship SUV; Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG, describes the AITO M9 as "the best SUV on Earth". Distinctive brand positioning has become the core leverage for players to capture segmented market shares.
This unprecedented 9-series flagship rivalry marks the starting point of Chinese brands’ ascent to the high-end luxury market. For the first time ever, the right to define luxury flagship SUVs has transferred from established overseas automakers to Chinese manufacturers and local consumers.
As early as May 2025, NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, AITO and Zeekr all achieved monthly sales exceeding 30,000 units, evolving from niche market participants to mainstream automotive brands in China. The ongoing 9-series flagship competition is more than a battle between individual vehicles; it serves as a microcosm of the overall rise of China’s new-energy automotive industry.
01 Full-by-Wire Chassis as Standard, Rear-Wheel Steering Goes Mainstream
As perceptual intelligent driving technology reaches saturation across the industry, the high-end intelligent vehicle segment has entered a new era centered on chassis intelligence, which stands as the core competitive advantage of this batch of 9-series flagship SUVs. Compared with traditional mechanical chassis, the full-by-wire chassis eliminates the limitations of physical mechanical structures, enabling full electronic and intelligent control over steering, braking, suspension and vehicle posture. It acts as the fundamental hardware foundation for high-level autonomous driving and premium riding experience.
All five domestic flagship SUVs are equipped with a complete suite of by-wire hardware, including steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems, supporting active full-range vehicle posture adjustment with native compatibility for Level 4 and above autonomous driving. For full-size SUVs longer than 5.2 meters, clumsy body characteristics raise higher requirements for control accuracy and response speed. As a result, by-wire chassis and rear-wheel steering have evolved from optional upgrades to standard necessities for $70,000+ flagship SUVs, effectively solving long-standing pain points such as poor flexibility and delayed control responses for large vehicles.
Despite subtle differences across suppliers, the by-wire chassis adopted by the five brands all follow the core architecture of "electric signals priority with mechanical backup", featuring three unified characteristics. First, full-range by-wire execution: core control modules are driven by electronic systems with millisecond-level response speed, outperforming traditional mechanical chassis by a wide margin. Second, popularized rear-wheel steering: the technology significantly reduces the turning radius of full-size SUVs, enabling flagship vehicles to deliver the agility of compact passenger cars. Third, integrated chassis domain control: self-developed domain controllers coordinate steering, braking and suspension modules to ensure driving stability and safety under all intelligent driving scenarios.
While sharing identical underlying technical logic, the five models differentiate themselves through customized chassis architectures, hardware configurations and tuning philosophies based on each brand’s technical accumulation:
NIO ES9: SkyRide Integrated Electro-Hydraulic Full-Active Chassis
The NIO ES9 is fitted with NIO’s self-developed SkyRide integrated electro-hydraulic full-active chassis, integrating steer-by-wire, high-performance rear-wheel steering, 48V wheel-end integrated electro-hydraulic suspension and a VMC vehicle motion controller. It is the world’s first mass-produced wheel-end integrated electro-hydraulic full-active suspension solution. Different from passive dampening suspensions, the integrated hydraulic actuator can actively generate push and pull force to offset road vibrations and precisely adjust vehicle posture in all scenarios.
Additionally, the ES9 features China’s first MIIT-certified pure steer-by-wire system for mass production. Its steering ratio can be intelligently adjusted from 6:1 to 14:1 without a rigid physical connection, filtering unnecessary road shocks while retaining valuable road feedback. Paired with an 8.4-degree maximum rear-wheel steering angle, the 5.365-meter-long SUV achieves a tight turning radius of 5.4 meters, matching the maneuverability of compact sedans.
XPeng GX: Bosch Next-Generation Native By-Wire Chassis
The XPeng GX is equipped with Bosch’s latest native by-wire chassis, consisting of front-wheel steer-by-wire, 7.5-degree maximum-angle rear-wheel steering and electro-hydraulic brake-by-wire (EHB). Combined with dual-chamber air suspension and dual-valve CDC electromagnetic dampers, the setup realizes millisecond-level coordinated responses among suspension, braking and steering systems.
Tuned to prioritize sporty handling and intelligent driving adaptability, the chassis delivers faster response and higher fault tolerance. It is deeply optimized for XPeng’s end-to-end AI autonomous driving system, striking a perfect balance between daily commuting comfort and extreme driving performance, and aligning with the brand’s positioning as a youthful tech luxury maker.
Li Auto L9 Livis: Fully-Fledged By-Wire Active Chassis
The Li Auto L9 Livis debuts the industry’s first fully-fledged by-wire active chassis, equipped with an 800V high-voltage active suspension, electro-mechanical brake-by-wire (EMB), full-range steer-by-wire and 7-degree maximum-angle rear-wheel steering. The model abandons the traditional anti-roll bar entirely, relying solely on the active suspension to stabilize vehicle posture.
The chassis’ biggest highlight is its deep integration with Li Auto’s embodied intelligence ecosystem. Powered by the in-house AI large model, the system can predict road conditions in advance and adjust chassis parameters proactively to realize human-centric adaptive driving. In terms of hardware performance, it supports a 5-millisecond ultra-fast damping response and over 10,000 Newtons of active support per wheel, leading the segment in suppressing body pitch and roll on bumpy roads and during high-speed cornering.
All-New AITO M9: Huawei Turining Intelligent Chassis
The updated AITO M9 adopts Huawei’s self-developed Turining intelligent chassis, coming standard with dual-chamber air suspension, CDC continuously variable dampers, steer-by-wire, rear-wheel steering and brake-by-wire. Centered on Huawei’s full-scenario fusion perception algorithm, the chassis can independently lift single wheels to mitigate vibrations caused by potholes and speed bumps.
Tuned for universal balance and quiet comfort, the chassis adapts to urban commuting, long-distance road trips and light off-road scenarios. The 8-degree rear-wheel steering is further optimized by exclusive algorithms, balancing low-speed agility and high-speed stability and ranking among the most well-rounded setups in the five flagship models.
Zeekr 9X: HAOLE-S Exclusive High-Performance Chassis
Built on Geely’s premium HAOLE-S dedicated architecture, the Zeekr 9X features dual-chamber closed air suspension, dual-valve CDC electromagnetic dampers, full-range steer-by-wire and high-performance brake-by-wire. The configuration delivers faster braking responses and shorter stopping distances, with superior chassis rigidity and torsional stiffness compared to peer competitors. It also supports customizable driving modes covering comfort, sport and off-road scenarios.
Notably, the Zeekr 9X is the only model among the five flagships without rear-wheel steering. Instead, Zeekr optimizes the front-wheel steering angle to compensate for maneuverability, achieving a minimum turning radius of 5.95 meters—approximately 0.5 meters larger than rivals equipped with rear-wheel steering.
The widespread adoption of full-by-wire chassis marks the end of the mechanical chassis era and the arrival of the fully intelligent chassis age. This transformative technology resolves inherent drawbacks of large SUVs, paves the way for iterative upgrades of high-level autonomous driving, and serves as the core weapon for Chinese high-end EVs to surpass BBA through technological leapfrogging.
02 By-Wire Empowerment: Upgraded Active Tire Blowout Protection
Driven by the large-scale deployment of by-wire chassis, Chinese 9-series flagship SUVs have introduced a groundbreaking safety feature: high-speed active tire blowout protection. Different from the passive remedial logic of traditional ESP systems, this function leverages the synergy of four core electronic modules—motor, braking, steering and suspension—to actively correct vehicle posture within milliseconds after a tire blowout, raising the global safety benchmark for passenger vehicles.
All five models adopt the same technical logic for blowout protection. Immediately after a tire failure, the active suspension lifts the body on the damaged side to offset height drop caused by deflation; the opposite-side suspension fine-tunes its height to curb body tilt. The steer-by-wire system isolates reverse impact from the blown tire to prevent violent steering wheel jerking, while rear-wheel steering provides supplementary corrective steering. Meanwhile, the intelligent AWD and braking systems redistribute power and braking force to intact wheels, eliminating risks of wheel lock-up, sideslip and rollover.
Official test data intuitively demonstrates the extreme blowout resistance of each model:
NIO ES9: The SkyRide VMC full-range blowout stabilization system keeps the vehicle cruising steadily in a straight line without sideslip during simultaneous blowouts of the front and rear tires on the same side at 153km/h on snowy surfaces;
XPeng GX: Equipped with the X-VMC integrated chassis, the vehicle maintains complete controllability during single-tire blowouts at a maximum speed of 180km/h;
Li Auto L9 Livis: Remains stable and decelerates smoothly during successive dual-tire blowouts on a single side at 120km/h;
All-New AITO M9: Actively lifts the damaged wheel off the ground after a high-speed single-tire blowout at 80km/h, enabling steady cruising and even low-speed reverse parking;
Zeekr 9X: Comes to a stable stop without失控 risks during dual-tire blowouts on split-friction surfaces at 120km/h.
The active suspension industry has formed two mainstream technical routes: 800V high-voltage and 48V low-voltage solutions. Li Auto and AITO adopt the 800V setup, while NIO and XPeng favor the 48V wheel-integrated solution. Zeekr takes an alternative approach by deploying a 48V active anti-roll bar instead of a full active suspension.
The 48V active suspension features an integrated wheel-end design that removes centralized pump stations and cuts high-pressure pipeline length by 95%. Powered by stepped-down high-voltage battery energy, the system delivers 3,000 Newtons of lifting force per wheel with only 5kW power consumption. It excels at filtering minor road vibrations with negligible impact on driving range, ideal for urban-oriented luxury vehicles.
The 800V active suspension is equipped with an independent centralized high-pressure pump directly powered by the vehicle’s 800V battery pack without energy loss from voltage reduction. It generates over 10,000 Newtons of lifting force per wheel, delivering superior performance in suppressing body pitch and roll for complex all-scenario driving. The trade-off is its higher power consumption of around 50kW.
Zeekr’s 48V active anti-roll bar only serves to mitigate body roll during cornering, without supporting suspension height adjustment or vibration dampening. Essentially an auxiliary chassis component rather than a complete active suspension system, it represents Zeekr’s unique technical trade-off.
03 Defying Homogenization: Category Innovation & Exclusive Luxury Positioning
Although competing in the same $70,000+ full-size flagship SUV segment, the five models avoid mindless hardware stacking through targeted category innovation and differentiated market positioning. By refining exclusive product propositions, each brand targets distinct consumer groups and achieves segmented competition within the same product class.
NIO ES9: Tech-Forward Executive Flagship SUV
The NIO ES9 targets the high-end business mobility segment, supported by a dedicated pure-electric luxury architecture, full-active intelligent chassis and customized executive-grade cabin. Centered on three core scenarios—mobile office, business reception and premium daily commuting—the model embodies understated tech-enabled luxury and rejects elitist estrangement. It is tailored for corporate executives and senior business users, setting a new benchmark for pure-electric executive luxury.
XPeng GX: AI-Powered New Luxury 6-Seater Flagship SUV
The XPeng GX redefines the concept of new luxury by taking artificial intelligence as its core competitive edge. Different from traditional luxury defined by premium materials and physical configurations, XPeng’s new luxury prioritizes personalized intelligent experiences. Backed by the brand’s self-developed AI large model, the GX integrates an AI-powered smart cabin, end-to-end map-free autonomous driving and adaptive intelligent chassis, attracting young affluent consumers who value technological innovation for both family and daily use.
Li Auto L9 Livis: Embodied Intelligence Luxury Flagship SUV
Boasting the most forward-thinking intelligent design among the five models, the L9 Livis transcends conventional auxiliary intelligent driving and endows the vehicle with autonomous perception, reasoning and decision-making capabilities via Li Auto’s Aurora OS, Mach M100 chip and VLA vision-language large model. Optimized for large family users, it delivers relaxed, user-centric intelligent mobility and redefines luxury as warm technological companionship.
All-New AITO M9: Panoramic Smart Flagship SUV
Defined by two core keywords—"panoramic" and "smart"—the AITO M9 adapts to all mobility scenarios including business trips, family outings and long-distance traveling. Its all-round hardware upgrades are paired with Huawei’s integrated ecosystem covering HarmonyOS smart cabin, ADS high-level autonomous driving, Turining chassis and StarRiver in-vehicle communication system. Positioned as a well-balanced all-rounder, it caters to pragmatic high-end users pursuing comprehensive performance and integrated smart ecosystems.
Zeekr 9X: Global Ultra-Luxury SUV
The only model in the lineup targeting the million-dollar ultra-luxury segment, the Zeekr 9X breaks free from the conventional mid-to-high-end EV market. It features top-tier craftsmanship, premium interior materials, a Bentley-spec Naim audio system and a 3.1-second 0-100km/h acceleration time, balancing ultra-quiet luxury comfort and track-grade performance to help Zeekr penetrate the global ultra-luxury automotive market.
04 Mature End-to-End Self-Research: The Foundation of Flagship Competitiveness
The disruptive performance of these 9-series flagship SUVs stems from a fundamental shift in China’s EV manufacturing landscape. All five participating brands have abandoned the low-value assembly-based manufacturing model and built complete end-to-end self-research systems covering vehicle architectures, core chips, intelligent chassis, smart cabins and operating systems. Independent control over core technologies shortens product iteration cycles, reduces supply chain risks and consolidates the core competitiveness of flagship products.
NIO: Full-Ecosystem Vertical Self-Research
NIO has invested a total of 68.8 billion RMB to establish 12 comprehensive self-research systems covering every core automotive sector. Its self-developed 5-nanometer Shenji NX9031 autonomous driving chip delivers over 1,000 TOPS of computing power—four times that of the NVIDIA Orin-X—to support the NIO World Model. Complemented by the self-developed SkyOS operating system, SkyRide full-active chassis and exclusive battery swapping ecosystem, NIO has formed a closed-loop industrial chain spanning R&D, manufacturing and after-sales services.
XPeng: AI-Driven Autonomous Driving Specialization
XPeng focuses its self-research layout on SOA electrical and electronic architecture and end-to-end AI autonomous driving. The modular SOA architecture enables decoupling of hardware and software to support frequent OTA upgrades, while XPeng’s map-free intelligent driving solution leads the industry in scenario coverage and mass production deployment. Flagship models can be equipped with up to four Turing AI chips, delivering a total computing power of 3,000 TOPS. XPeng plans to invest 7 billion RMB in physical AI R&D in 2026 to further strengthen its technological moat.
Li Auto: Scenario-Oriented Embodied Intelligence
Li Auto’s self-research strategy centers on family-oriented embodied intelligence, with core products including the Mach M100 autonomous driving chip, Aurora OS and VLA vision-language large model. Purpose-built for embodied intelligence scenarios, the 2,560 TOPS Mach M100 chip processes road and user data within milliseconds. The brand plans to allocate 12 billion RMB to R&D in 2026, with half of the budget dedicated to AI technology to accelerate its transformation into an embodied intelligent mobility enterprise.
Huawei: Ecosystem-Centric Technology Empowerment
Huawei owns the industry’s most comprehensive full-stack intelligent automotive self-research system, covering autonomous driving, smart cabins, intelligent chassis, in-vehicle chips and vehicle communication technologies. Unlike traditional automakers, Huawei refrains from complete vehicle manufacturing and empowers partner brands with cutting-edge technologies. The updated AITO M9 is equipped with the Kirin 9610A cabin chip—twice as powerful as the Snapdragon 8155—and dual MDC810 autonomous driving chips, providing abundant computing redundancy for high-level intelligent driving and ecosystem interconnection.
Zeekr (Geely Group): High-End Hardware Self-Reliance
Backed by Geely’s decades of manufacturing experience, Zeekr specializes in high-end pure-electric hardware R&D. Its HAOLE and SPA Evo dedicated luxury architectures provide a premium native platform for flagship models. Zeekr’s self-developed dual-chamber air suspension, high-performance electric drive systems and active anti-roll bars fill the historical hardware gaps of Chinese luxury EVs, while customized in-vehicle domain control chips optimize cabin interaction and chassis dynamic control for an ultra-luxury driving experience.
05 Democratized Ultra-Luxury: The Dawn of China’s New Luxury Era
These 9-series flagship SUVs have dominated China’s high-end EV market in mid-2026 with impressive pre-order performances: the XPeng GX secured 24,863 orders within 12 hours post-launch; the Zeekr 9X hit 10,000 orders in merely 13 minutes; the Li Auto L9 Livis accumulated over 10,000 orders within two weeks. Newly launched in late May, the NIO ES9 and updated AITO M9 have also maintained explosive market popularity consistent with their brand positioning.
This market phenomenon carries epoch-making significance for the global luxury automotive industry. In the fuel vehicle era, flagship luxury SUVs were exclusively priced above one million US dollars and limited to a tiny group of high-net-worth individuals. The new-energy revolution has lowered the threshold of full-size flagship luxury to the $70,000 segment, making premium top-tier mobility accessible to a broader consumer base and exponentially expanding the high-end luxury market scale.
More importantly, the competition logic of China’s luxury EV market has undergone a fundamental upgrade. The shallow hardware stacking competition centered on screens and comfortable seats has been replaced by in-depth technological rivalry covering vehicle architectures, core chips, intelligent chassis and autonomous driving algorithms. This evolution marks China’s new-energy automotive industry’s historic leap from technological follower to rule-maker of the global luxury segment.
Beyond technological and market breakthroughs, the most valuable achievement of this generation of 9-series flagships is the redefinition of luxury tailored for the Chinese market.
For over a century, legacy luxury brands represented by BBA have always been defined by elitism and social estrangement, treating luxury as a symbol of social hierarchy to alienate ordinary consumers. A new cohort of Chinese automotive entrepreneurs has rewritten the spiritual connotation of flagship luxury vehicles.
William Li, founder of NIO, insists on labeling his brand as "premium" rather than "luxury", emphasizing that flagship models like the ES9 should deliver understated decency instead of creating class divisions. Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, advocates abandoning outdated elitist luxury and pioneering relaxed, tech-enabled premium mobility: while traditional Western luxury greets customers with a distant "welcome", Chinese new luxury welcomes users "back home".
Zero elitism, zero estrangement, user-oriented experience and value-driven technology—this is the unique answer crafted by China’s automotive industry for the global luxury market in 2026.
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