Stuck at an annual sales volume of 100,000 vehicles for nearly a decade, can the WEY V9X break through Great Wall's deadlock in the high-end market?

On March 9th, the V9X, the flagship model of WEY, a brand under Great Wall Motors, was officially launched through an online live broadcast.

During this one-and-a-half-hour live broadcast, Wei Jianjun, the chairman of Great Wall Motors, not only stood up for the product as its spokesperson but also talked throughout the whole session, striving to enable the audience to comprehensively understand the product strength and quality performance of the WEY V9X beyond its "styling aesthetics."

After staking the brand reputation of "naming after the surname," the technological foundation of the new Guiyuan S platform, and Wei Jianjun's personal IP value, Great Wall Motors is attempting to achieve the long-awaited high-end breakthrough with the WEY V9X.

The WEY V9X "Defines Its Level by Name" and Enters the "Series 9" Flagship Battle

This live broadcast was Wei Jianjun's first public appearance after he officially announced his appointment as the spokesperson for the WEY V9X.

"Chinese people can also name a brand after their surname... It's only natural for me to endorse the WEY V9X," Wei Jianjun said during the live broadcast. Naming the brand after his surname, personally endorsing the product, and appearing in public to gather popularity, Wei Jianjun's series of actions fully demonstrate the importance of the V9X to WEY and even the entire Great Wall Motors.

Corresponding to this importance is the flagship-level product positioning. The "Guiyuan S platform" adopted by the WEY V9X is a high-end technology series developed by Great Wall Motors specifically for flagship models. Its core is the Super Hi4 hybrid architecture composed of a 2.0T engine, a 4-speed hybrid-specific transmission, an 800V high-voltage architecture, and 6C ultra-fast charging. In addition, cutting-edge technological achievements such as the large-angle rear-wheel steering and the closed dual-chamber air suspension independently developed by Great Wall Motors are also equipped on the V9X.

In addition, according to the previous declaration information from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the WEY V9X adopts a six-seater layout, with a body length close to 5.3 meters and a wheelbase exceeding 3.1 meters. It is equipped with a 2.0T plug-in hybrid system, with a pure-electric range of over 400 kilometers. It also supports ultra-fast charging, which can replenish a 200-kilometer range in 5 minutes. In terms of intelligence, it provides configurations such as a native AI intelligent agent, lidar + multi-sensor fusion perception, and high TOPS computing power.

It is worth mentioning that WEY did not follow the naming sequence of the "Mountain Series" to promote the new car but directly used the V9X number to reflect the product's positioning. Recently, with the successive launches of large six-seater/seven-seater flagship SUV models such as the AITO M9, Li L9, and Lynk & Co 900, the "Series 9" naming has become a synonym for high-end models of Chinese brands. Naming the new car V9X this time also brings WEY into the upcoming "Series 9" battle in a more straightforward way.

Stuck at the 100,000-unit Threshold for a Decade, WEY's High-End Ambitions Reach a New Sprint

Entering the "Series 9" battle is not a follow - the - trend move by WEY but an inevitable path for Great Wall Motors to break into the high-end market and enhance the brand image in the long run.

Looking at Great Wall Motors' overall performance, 2025 was a stable year. The company sold 1.3237 million new vehicles throughout the year, a year - on - year increase of 7.33%. Among them, 403,700 new energy vehicles were sold, a year - on - year increase of 25.44%. The penetration rate of new energy vehicles continued to rise, showing good development resilience.

However, in terms of segmentation, the sales volume of high - end models represented by WEY still accounted for a relatively low proportion. In 2025, WEY sold 102,000 vehicles, although the year - on - year increase reached 86%, it only accounted for 7.7% of Great Wall Motors' total sales. Horizontally compared, the annual sales volume of 100,000 units is not outstanding in the high - end market.

With the favorable conditions of being backed by Great Wall Motors, WEY has been hovering around the annual sales volume of 100,000 units in the past decade. Especially in recent years, its growth rate has not been as high as that of emerging brands such as Li Auto, NIO, and AITO. So much so that Wei Jianjun also admitted during the live broadcast that WEY's development "has not been particularly successful."

Therefore, as WEY gradually returned to the growth path in 2025, Great Wall Motors began to increase its investment in WEY from multiple aspects such as products, technology, and management in order to ride on the wave.

In December 2025, Zhao Yongpo, the general manager of Haval, a brand under Great Wall Motors, took over as the CEO of WEY. Zhao Yongpo has worked at Great Wall Motors for nearly 20 years and is considered a "technical expert" who has grown up within the Great Wall system. He took over as the general manager of the Haval brand on November 1, 2023. Previously, he served as the deputy general manager of the Great Wall Motors Technology Center, leading the R & D of vehicle platforms, lower vehicle bodies, performance, and chassis.

As the new V9X is about to be launched, the transfer of a senior expert from the core brand to be in charge of brand operation once again reflects Great Wall Motors' emphasis on the WEY V9X.

28 New Cars Flood into the Red Ocean, and the WEY V9X Faces Fierce "Series 9" Battles

What awaits the WEY V9X are more "Series 9" competitors.

Entering 2026, new "Series 9" models such as the NIO ES9, Li L9 Livis, and Leapmotor D19 have been successively announced. Even foreign brands like Volkswagen have brought out the ID.ERA 9X to join the battle, and FAW - Audi has launched the introduction of the Audi Q9. The large six - seater flagship SUV segment is rapidly becoming a "red ocean."

A research report from Huachuang Securities pointed out that 2026 will continue to be a big year for new six - seater SUVs. It is expected that 28 new models will be launched this year, far more than the 19 models in 2025. Among them, the competition in the high - end six - seater SUV market will intensify significantly. The report predicts that from the end of 2025 to 2026, 22 new models will be launched in the segment, an increase of more than 140% compared with 2025, while the expected market expansion is only about 30%.

For WEY, which has just returned to the 100,000 - unit level, this is undoubtedly a tough battle. To gain a foothold in such a red - ocean market, in addition to excellent quality and product strength, brand influence is also an indicator that cannot be ignored.

As a measure to enhance brand influence, Wei Jianjun announced his appointment as the product spokesperson for the V9X, injecting his personal IP into the product. This move took effect quickly, but the subsequent incident of the promotional poster "resembling" a luxury brand reminded people that while developing rapidly, the foundation of WEY's high - end strategy still needs to be consolidated.

Although Wei Jianjun quickly took responsibility and apologized as the spokesperson, which quickly calmed the incident and even won back some reputation, this incident still inevitably affected the product's promotion rhythm. Moreover, as a high - end brand, WEY should have established a more complete and rigorous work process. Letting the "chairman and spokesperson" take on the work of verifying the source of creativity indicates that there are still loopholes in this relevant process.

Judging from the public opinion triggered by the "poster incident," while people are pleased with Wei Jianjun's attitude of taking the initiative to assume responsibility, they are also more concerned about whether WEY can repair the process loopholes and strengthen its emphasis on product originality in the future. For Great Wall Motors, the launch of the V9X is just the starting point of the high - end breakthrough. In many fields such as subsequent marketing, after - sales service, and customer relations, WEY still needs to maintain its high - end brand image through refined management with technology and products to achieve sustainable growth on the high - end track.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Financial Auto," written by Yang Zheng and Zhao Cheng, and is published by 36Kr with authorization.