Huawei-Dongfeng co-developed Yijing X9 launches, starting at 279,800 yuan

September 24 – "The best of Huawei is in Yijing," said Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei's Intelligent Automotive Solution Business Unit, at the launch event of the Yijing X9.

As a high-end new energy brand co-created from the ground up by Dongfeng and Huawei's Qiankun full-stack ecosystem, Yijing's first strategic model, the X9, is now available in four variants, with a limited-time price range of 279,800 to 359,800 RMB. Compared to the pre-sale version, the new model adds one additional variant and lowers the starting price by 20,000 RMB.

Image source: NBD reporter Huang Xinxu

A "Made in Chengdu" Large Six-Seat SUV

The Yijing X9, a large six-seat SUV produced in Chengdu, has finally reached the market after its debut at the Beijing Auto Show, mass production at the Chengdu factory, and pre-sales. At the launch event, Zeng Qinglin, General Manager of the Yijing brand, revealed that the BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) version of the Yijing X9 will begin pre-sales in November. This version will feature a kilovolt platform, kilovolt motor, and kilovolt battery, with deliveries starting in December.

Image source: NBD reporter Huang Xinxu

"The era of rapid expansion and incremental growth in China's new energy automotive industry is over. The marginal benefits of relying on simple hardware stacking and parameter iteration are diminishing. The industry now faces a new challenge: amid increasingly homogeneous competition, what is the key for new energy brands to break through? Based on industry practice, Yijing's answer is to pursue dimensional elevation," Zeng Qinglin said. In his view, the Yijing X9 is Yijing's answer to this challenge.

Price Drops to 270,000 RMB – "The Best of Huawei is in Yijing"

"Look to Yijing for the flagship of the Huawei ecosystem," Zeng Qinglin repeatedly emphasized at the event.

Key specifications of the Yijing X9:

• Positioning: Second-generation flagship family large six-seat SUV
• Dimensions: 5,301 mm × 2,015 mm × 1,820 mm, with a wheelbase of 3,120 mm
• Cockpit: First to feature HarmonySpace 6, with dual 17.2-inch 3.4K butterfly-linked screens
• Standard equipment: Huawei Qiankun ADS 5 intelligent driving system, 896-line dual-optical-path image-grade LiDAR, enabling map-free urban NOA and curb-to-curb full-scenario navigation
• Additional features: Qiankun vehicle-mounted optical triple set and "Sky Shield" six-layer safety system

Image source: Company provided

Currently, large SUVs with similar configurations on the market are generally priced near 500,000 RMB. The Yijing X9, however, brings the price down to 270,000 RMB. Zeng Qinglin stated that as a brand jointly developed by Dongfeng and Huawei, the core mission of the Yijing X9 is to allow more users to experience superior technology, safety, and mobility. The goal is to establish a competitive edge in product quality and market positioning within the 300,000 to 400,000 RMB price range. Despite intense market competition and slim profit margins per vehicle, Yijing will not compromise on configuration or performance.

As a brand under the Huawei Qiankun system, Yijing follows a co-creation model distinct from Huawei's Smart Selection (Zhixuan) approach. Following the recent announcement by Seres and Huawei regarding adjustments to the AITO brand cooperation model, the boundaries and division of responsibilities between automakers and tech companies have once again sparked industry debate.

Zeng Qinglin commented publicly on social media: "In my personal opinion, Yijing's current model is the most perfect cooperation model. Its core advantage lies in the dual support of institutional resources and technology."

At the launch event, both Jin Yuzhi and Zeng Qinglin expressed the view that "the best of Huawei is in Yijing."

Zeng Qinglin elaborated: "Yijing's choice is not to continue competing within the existing framework, but to achieve a leap from quantitative to qualitative change through comprehensive dimensional reconstruction. Based on deep analysis of industry trends, Yijing has fully implemented dimensional thinking. Leveraging Dongfeng's decades of experience and robust safety system capabilities, combined with Huawei's most advanced intelligent technologies, Yijing has carved out a unique path in safety technology iteration."

Yijing Manufacturing Base in Chengdu – Accelerating the "Chain Leader" Effect

Notably, the Yijing X9 is also a "Made in Chengdu" vehicle. The entire process—product definition, technology integration, production line calibration, and quality closure—is completed in Chengdu. The vehicle moves from concept to mass production at the Yijing Chengdu factory in the Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone.

"Wuhan is Dongfeng's home base, where Yijing's technical foundation and chassis safety are developed. By establishing the manufacturing base in Chengdu and building both the Yijing Southwest Intelligent Manufacturing Center and the Huawei Qiankun Ecosystem Southwest Manufacturing Center, we aim to leverage Chengdu's talent, industry, policy, and mature market advantages to improve product development, market insight, and user experience," Zeng Qinglin told reporters.

Image source: NBD reporter Zhang Jian (file photo)

Jin Yuzhi added: "Yijing has reshaped its product development and marketing processes using IPD and IPDM frameworks. Both parties have implemented the industry's most stringent Huawei quality standards."

With the establishment of its manufacturing base in Chengdu, Yijing is expected to further amplify its "chain leader" effect. This move not only fills a gap in the southwest region for high-end intelligent new energy SUVs but also strengthens Chengdu's capabilities in high-end new energy vehicle manufacturing.

Zeng Qinglin told reporters: "Yijing has already attracted 35 supporting enterprises to Chengdu, and we will continue to bring in more industry chain companies, including Huawei and CATL."

He also revealed that the Yijing project will recruit a large number of high-end new energy talent to settle in Chengdu, and many Huawei employees will soon be working in the city. "Through one product and one brand, driving industrial clustering and talent introduction, we are confident that we can further develop Chengdu's high-end new energy brand and industry chain," Zeng Qinglin said.