The "affordable Maybach" priced at 140,000 yuan has become a huge sales hit.

You can buy a decent large three - row SUV for less than 280,000 yuan. It comes fully equipped with a refrigerator, a color TV, and a comfortable sofa, and can even have its battery swapped in 3 minutes. In the past, you had to spend four or five hundred thousand yuan to get a C - class flagship sedan, but now car companies have managed to bring the price down to just over one hundred thousand yuan. Making cars bigger and prices more competitive has become the trend in the automotive industry in the past two years. For car companies, this strategy has proven to be effective time and time again. Even the least well - known brands can gain popularity in the market.

The "Affordable Maybach" Priced at 140,000 Yuan Sells Like Hotcakes

At nine o'clock in the evening, the launch event of Chery Fengyun A9L had ended, but there were still dozens of mobile phones live - streaming at the event site. In the humid and sticky air of the midsummer night, the salespeople were shouting at the top of their voices to promote the car.

The salespeople's hard work paid off. One hour after the launch, 35,680 large - scale orders were placed for the Fengyun A9L, and this figure was updated to 50,287 after 24 hours. Li Xueyong, the executive vice - president of Chery Automobile, revealed in a post after the launch of the Fengyun A9L that "we have been getting more than 2,000 new large - scale orders every day in the past two days."

The A9L is a flagship sedan launched by the Fengyun Division under Chery. Although its price ranges from 139,900 to 197,900 yuan (limited - time promotional price), its body size, materials, and various configurations meet the standards of a C - class car. According to the official statement, its biggest highlight is that it is the only model in its class to come standard with 500,000 - yuan - class luxury car configurations across the entire lineup. In terms of luxury, performance, and safety, the Fengyun A9L doesn't shy away from comparing itself with the Maybach S480.

▲ Comparison between the Fengyun A9L and the Maybach S480. Photo / Chery Fengyun

The constantly updated figures on the order report are reflected in reality, and the test - drive cars are becoming in short supply. A salesperson from Chery Fengyun told MeiRen Auto, "There are still available test - drive cars on weekdays, but you need to wait in line on weekends." A prospective car owner revealed that he had booked a test - drive on the weekend but still had to wait for three hours.

On July 18th, Li Xueyong personally apologized on social media for the inconvenience caused by the "test - drive queuing" to users. He suggested that all Fengyun stores across the country extend their business hours until 22:00 and add more test - drive cars.

The hot sales of the Fengyun A9L seem to be beyond everyone's expectations. Initially, the dealers lacked confidence in this car and didn't order many. As a result, the display cars in the stores were booked even without any discounts. Currently, if you place an order, you generally have to wait for about a month to pick up the car. In some special cases, it may take even longer. A car owner reported that because he added an automatic sliding door, he had to wait for two months to get the car.

Among the existing orders, the base - model is not the most popular choice among car owners. People prefer the mid - to high - end configurations of the Boya Edition and the Premium Edition because "they offer the best cost - performance ratio."

▲ The Fengyun A9L. Photo / Official Chery Fengyun

Zhang Hao placed an order for the Fengyun A9L as soon as it was launched. He is from Wuhu, Anhui. "I want to support my hometown enterprise." Besides this emotional factor, Zhang Hao is satisfied with the materials used in the Fengyun A9L. He is most impressed by Chery's "three major components," as well as the chassis and workmanship.

Of course, most of the car owners who placed orders are attracted by the cost - performance ratio. "At this price and with this size, it's currently the best option," said a prospective car owner who has already placed an order.

Currently, cost - performance ratio is the key to success in the automotive market. "It has an affordable price and reliable quality. The A9L has set a good example," Zhang Hao even believes that the Fengyun A9L may "recreate the market myth of the QQ."

The "Wuhu Maybach" Focuses on Cost - Performance Ratio

The official description of the Fengyun A9L is "a true global C - class flagship." To enhance its status, Chery conducted a detailed analysis of the Maybach S480, so this car is also jokingly referred to by netizens as the "Wuhu Maybach."

The main reason why the Fengyun A9L attracts most car owners is that you can buy a C - class car with the "Maybach reputation" for less than 140,000 yuan.

To get more orders, Chery has invested a lot of technology in the Fengyun A9L. This car is equipped with the luxury electric - hybrid E - platform, which took six years to develop and cost over 10 billion yuan, as well as the Lingxi Intelligent Cockpit 2.0 and the Falcon Driving Assistance System. In addition to its strong hardware, Chery also strives to provide users with the experience that a C - class car should offer in terms of software. For example, the "Boya Sound" AI audio system jointly developed with iFlytek uses 23 speakers and a 7.1.4 panoramic sound layout. Hardware is important, but the effect is even more crucial. Chery invited a jury of nearly a thousand people to wear blindfolds and listen to the Boya audio system and the Burmester audio system. The evaluation results showed that the sound performance of the two audio systems is basically the same.

▲ The Fengyun A9L is equipped with the "Boya Sound" AI audio system. Photo / Official Chery Fengyun

However, the Fengyun A9L didn't have a smooth start.

In November 2023, Fengyun was officially launched as a product line for Chery to enter the new - energy vehicle market, with a clear focus on hybrid vehicles. The Fengyun A9 was introduced at that time. One year later, the Fengyun A9 became the 15 millionth vehicle produced by Chery Automobile globally. This car started accepting blind orders in March 2025, and then at the Shanghai Auto Show, the limited - edition Founder's Edition of the Fengyun A9 started accepting small - scale orders.

Surprisingly, just one month later, Chery suddenly announced that the Fengyun A9 would be renamed the Fengyun A9L. According to market speculation, in addition to emphasizing the brand positioning and restructuring the product matrix, the main reason for this move was that another new car disrupted the plan. Before the launch of the Fengyun A9L, the Geely Galaxy Xingyao 8, a B + - class mid - to large - sized luxury electric - hybrid sedan with a starting price of only 115,800 yuan (limited - time launch price), was launched.

The Xingyao 8 is not much smaller than the Fengyun A9 and is even cheaper. Chery needs to find product differentiation to win. So, an "L" was added to the name of the Fengyun A9, and the wheelbase was lengthened, resulting in a larger interior space. In this way, it is reasonable for the price to be a bit higher.

Of course, Chery also made some price cuts.

The initial pre - sale price of the Fengyun A9L was between 159,900 and 229,900 yuan, but car owners were not fully convinced, and there was even a small wave of "order cancellations." Because the base - model was too "basic," many configurations were only available in the mid - to high - end models, and the pre - sale price announced by the official did not meet the expectations, some small - scale order owners chose to cancel their orders. "In a group of more than 300 prospective customers, most of the small - scale orders were cancelled after the pre - sale price was announced."

Noticing the feedback from prospective car owners, Chery urgently adjusted the product plan. After discussions and evaluations by Chery's marketing and engineering teams, it was decided to add more configurations to the current models. For example, all models now come standard with electric folding rear - view mirrors, an electric tailgate, double - layer sound - insulating glass in the front row, rear - view mirror memory, automatic downward tilting when reversing, and automatic folding when locking the car.

▲ The interior of the Fengyun A9L. Photo / Official Chery Fengyun

After these changes, the Fengyun A9L may be the cheapest C - class car you can buy on the market.

The market feedback is more real. Some car owners who cancelled their orders when the pre - sale price was announced placed new orders after the official launch.

"The current price is very reasonable. The previous pre - sale price was indeed a bit high, so they were hesitant to announce the official price. Later, as other competitors were cutting prices, we got the current price," said a salesperson from Chery Fengyun.

Comparing with the Maybach to enhance its status and focusing on cost - performance ratio are the reasons why the Fengyun A9L has achieved a good start in the market.

Large and Affordable Cars: The New Trend in the Automotive Industry

What kind of C - class car can you buy for 140,000 yuan?

If you asked this question a few years ago, you would probably get a disdainful look from a salesperson, but now it has become a reality.

Previously, the C - class sedan market was mainly dominated by BBA. The main models were the Audi A6L, the BMW 5 Series, and the Mercedes - Benz E - Class, with a guide price ranging from 400,000 to 700,000 yuan on average. They were definitely considered "luxury cars" in people's minds.

▲ The Audi A6L. Photo / Audi official website

As the technological R & D capabilities of domestic brands continue to improve, the industrial chain matures, and costs decrease, coupled with fierce competition, a new trend has emerged in the automotive industry: cars are getting bigger, and prices are getting more competitive.

Both the Fengyun A9L and the Xingyao 8 are following this trend, and even joint - venture car companies have learned this strategy.

In the first half of 2025, Dongfeng Nissan launched the N7, a mid - to large - sized pure - electric sedan with C - class space, with a starting price of only 119,900 yuan. This car exceeded 10,000 large - scale orders 18 days after its launch and exceeded 20,000 large - scale orders 50 days after its launch, setting a record for the fastest - growing joint - venture brand pure - electric car to reach 10,000 large - scale orders.

NIO is also using this as a way to turn things around. On July 10th, the LeDao L90 started pre - sales. As a large three - row SUV, the full purchase price starts from 279,900 yuan, and it only costs 193,900 yuan if you choose the battery - leasing option.

The main competitors of the LeDao L90 are the Wenjie M9 and the Li L8/L9. Compared with the starting price of 409,800 yuan for the Li L9 and 359,800 yuan for the Wenjie M8, there is a price difference of at least 80,000 yuan for the LeDao L90 (calculated based on the full purchase price). To fight a beautiful comeback, NIO has shown its greatest sincerity. Although the official has not announced the order situation, the capital market has given a positive response. When the stock market opened on July 11th, NIO's Hong Kong - listed shares rose by 4.89%. The performance in the US stock market was also strong. On July 17th, NIO's US - listed shares opened more than 8% higher and closed at $4.4 per share, a 7.06% increase. Since the pre - sale price of the LeDao L90 was announced, NIO's US - listed shares have risen for five consecutive trading days, with a cumulative increase of nearly 30%.

▲ The large three - row SUV LeDao L90. Photo / Official LeDao Automobile

Among the new - energy vehicle sales rankings, leading brands like Leapmotor and XPeng have also managed to maintain their positions by adopting the strategy of "large - sized and affordable cars." In the market, Leapmotor is known as the "half - price Li Auto." The just - launched 2026 Leapmotor C16 six - seat version starts at only 151,800 yuan.

Thanks to this strategy, in June 2025, Leapmotor's delivery volume reached a new high of 48,006 vehicles, a 138% year - on - year increase. In the first half of this year, Leapmotor has delivered more than 220,000