The "9-Series Showdown" Has No Bystanders: From 220,000 to 500,000 RMB, Consumers Vote With Their Feet to Define Five Market Tracks

The Beijing Auto Show in April 2026 almost became an exclusive showcase for the "Series 9" large SUVs.

The NIO ES9, XPeng GX, Leapmotor D19, and SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 9X made their collective debuts. The Wei brand V9X quickly followed suit and started pre - sales. Even the Li L9 Livis, which hasn't been officially launched yet, completed its final "pre - battle mobilization" at the terminal channels.

Ranging from 220,000 to over 500,000 RMB, covering extended - range, pure - electric, and plug - in hybrid models, and catering to family, executive, and performance needs - suddenly, this segment was crowded with Chinese players trying to define the "high - end flagship".

This wasn't an accidental concentrated outbreak. The arrival of the replacement cycle, the decline in battery costs, and the maturity of wire - controlled chassis and advanced intelligent driving technologies have jointly pushed large SUVs into the most fiercely competitive niche market this year.

Automobile manufacturers have all tilted their most cutting - edge technologies, most luxurious configurations, and most important production capacity resources towards their respective "Series 9" models, trying to cut the largest piece from the most profitable market share.

However, behind the excitement, a more fundamental question is emerging: When hard indicators such as range, acceleration, and intelligent driving are gradually converging, and when "refrigerators, color TVs, and big sofas" have become standard features, what exactly do consumers base their choices on?

In the past month, Future Auto Daily visited several brand stores in Beijing in person. After in - depth exchanges with salespeople, users, and supply - chain personnel, it was found that the key to winning this "Series 9 battle" goes far beyond the product itself.

Some penetrate the market with a sharp price cut, some hold on to their basic customer base with brand loyalty, some secretly compete in terms of delivery rhythm, and some stage a comeback with an unexpected hot search.

Here are five snapshots of this undercurrent and game.

Li L9 Livis: Training First, Product Later

No one will overlook the Li L9 Livis in the Series 9 battle, even though this product won't be officially launched until May 15th.

During the period when the Li L9 hadn't been launched, the NIO ES9, Leapmotor D19, XPeng GX, and Wei brand V9X had all completed pre - sales ahead of schedule. The SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 9X went even a step further and was launched during the Beijing Auto Show on April 26th.

According to a source from Li Auto's supply chain, the Li L9 Livis was originally planned to be launched in the first half of this year. However, later, in order to comply with regulations, the original hidden door handles were changed to semi - hidden door handles, which delayed the launch time.

"Even the body molds had been made," the above - mentioned source said.

However, Li Auto, which deeply understands that efficiency is king, won't stay in a passive situation for long. It is reported that Li Auto's terminal channels have already completed the preliminary preparations and are ready to launch an offensive for the market breakthrough of the L9 Livis at any time.

Photo by Future Auto Daily

A salesperson at a Li Auto store in Beijing said that about a month ago, all the old - model L9 inventories and display cars were cleared from stores across the country to make room for the new - model L9 Livis.

Moreover, starting from May 5th, the sales end has launched intensive special training. "Specific training has been carried out on key aspects such as after - sales chassis tuning, intelligent driving fault troubleshooting, product explanation for sales, and output of selling points."

The terminal salespeople, who are at the forefront of market competition, are working hard to break the passive situation of being a late - comer. And Li Auto's salespeople also firmly believe that a late - comer can still gain the upper hand.

"We are very confident in the product's capabilities," she explained. "In addition, the entire market is currently in the new - energy vehicle replacement period, and customers have become very rational and won't place orders impulsively. They will definitely wait for the Livis to come out, make a careful comparison, and then make a decision."

On the day when Future Auto Daily visited, there happened to be an event spontaneously organized by car owners at the Li Auto store. Dozens of car owners gathered together and enthusiastically shouted, "May Li Auto achieve great sales at the Beijing Auto Show!"

The salesperson told Future Auto Daily that many old car owners have said that they will place orders as soon as the Li L9 Livis is launched. "(They) have a very high degree of loyalty to the Li Auto brand."

NIO ES9: Achieving a "1 + 1 > 2" Effect with the ES8

Different from most "Series 9" models that target families, the NIO ES9 positions itself as an "executive flagship SUV".

The family - oriented market represents a broader customer base, while the executive - oriented market belongs to a niche group.

The NIO ES9 seems to have chosen a narrow path with less competition but a lower market ceiling. However, overall, it is precisely the executive positioning of the ES9 that not only avoids internal competition with the ES8 but also works together with the ES8 to achieve a "1 + 1 > 2" effect at the sales end.

NIO salespeople said that the people who come to view the ES9 are mainly executive and business users, and there is also a significant proportion of family users. These potential consumers who value the family - use attributes often also learn about the ES8 at the same time, which invisibly continuously attracts attention to the ES8 and maintains the market popularity of the model.

Photo by Future Auto Daily

"The popularity of the ES8 has continued from the fourth quarter of last year to the first quarter of this year, but it would decline over time. However, after the ES9 arrived at the store, the in - store attention to the ES8 was pulled back to the level at the beginning of the year," the above - mentioned salesperson said.

However, the more niche positioning and higher price of the ES9 mean that it is destined not to replicate the success of the ES8 at the sales end. A relevant NIO salesperson in Beijing introduced that on weekdays in April, there were 20 groups of customers coming to view the ES9 every day, and there were more on weekends and during the May Day holiday.

"There are ten salespeople in the store, and on average, each of them had ten orders last month."

The salesperson also candidly pointed out, "However, in comparison, the footfall was higher when the ES8 was first launched. (The store) relied on the ES8 alone to maintain its business until March this year."

NIO officially announced that the ES9 will be officially launched and start deliveries on May 27th. Starting from June, as the production rhythm is adjusted and orders are processed, the delivery scope will gradually expand.

Compared with the situation where it took half a year to deliver the ES8 at the beginning, the delivery speed of the ES9 is more stable. "Customers who placed orders in April can basically get their cars three months later."

During the conversation with the customers who came to the store, Future Auto Daily also met an owner of a BMW X5.

He said that he became interested in the NIO brand because of the design of the NIO ES8. The newly launched ES9 meets his needs, but "it can only be said that there are indeed no obvious flaws, but there are also no outstanding highlights."

Executive users belong to a high - end niche group, and their demands also reflect the current solution for automobile manufacturers to break through the industry competition: As the core technical indicators of various products are becoming similar, only by achieving consumer - perceptible differentiation in details can a product truly stand out.

Leapmotor D19: Price Solves All Problems

A climax in the Series 9 battle was the launch of the Leapmotor D19. Its starting price of 219,800 RMB quickly ignited the market's enthusiasm.

Compared with the starting prices of the Li L9 Livis at 559,800 RMB and the NIO ES9 at 528,000 RMB, the Leapmotor D19 has a price gap of nearly 200,000 RMB. This significant price difference gives the Leapmotor D19 a natural advantage in the current Series 9 flagship battle and makes it one of the models with the most promising sales potential and market performance.

A Leapmotor salesperson revealed a typical case: A customer who had placed a small - amount deposit for the NIO ES9 waited for a long time to observe the Leapmotor D19. On the day of the D19's launch, the customer firmly canceled the ES9 order and switched to the D19. Given the huge price difference of nearly 200,000 RMB, such cases of customers switching their choices are not uncommon.

At a Leapmotor store in Beijing, the salesperson even wrote down the daily sales volume directly in the store. On a Saturday alone, 26 units of the D19 were sold.

As of now, the single - day sales volume at this store still remains in double - digits.

Photo by Future Auto Daily

"The D19 is extremely popular," the salesperson sighed. "On the day of its launch, we didn't get off work until 12 o'clock at night. Now we also have to work overtime until 7 or 8 o'clock every day."

There are always more than three groups of family users around the Leapmotor D19 display car at the same time. After its launch in April, the two test - drive cars in the store have been running continuously, but customers still have to wait in line for two hours to take a test drive.

"For other models, two customers can take a test drive at the same time. However, the target customers of the Leapmotor D19 are mainly family users, and often a family of four or five people come to the store for an experience together. Due to the limitations of the experience scenario, the D19 can only accommodate one family for a test drive at a time."

In order to reduce the waiting time for customers, this store has urgently applied for two more test - drive cars on loan.

Photo by Future Auto Daily

"We wanted to get the cars before May Day, but the test - drive cars at each store are in short supply. The group can only prioritize the stores with high traffic first."

From the sales end to the production end, the sweet troubles of the D19 are plaguing every aspect of Leapmotor.

In April, a Leapmotor salesperson revealed that customers who placed orders for the D19 had to wait for 5 to 7 weeks to pick up their cars.

"The D19 is accelerating its production capacity ramp - up, and the subsequent delivery efficiency will be steadily improved," said Cao Li, the vice - president of Leapmotor Technology, during the Beijing Auto Show.

According to the store, Leapmotor plans to increase its production capacity in May, and the waiting period will be shortened to about 4 weeks.

SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 9X: A Reversal After a 30,000 - RMB Price Cut

A month ago, the SAIC Volkswagen ID.ERA 9X with a pre - sale price of 329,800 RMB was not favored by the outside world.

The reason is simple - "the pricing exceeded expectations".

During the pre - sale period, most of the customers who came to the store to view the car or even placed orders were over 40 years old, and they had a high recognition of the Volkswagen brand. A salesperson at a SAIC Volkswagen pop - up store told Future Auto Daily.

In the eyes of the salesperson, the Volkswagen ID.ERA 9X is a product with strong product capabilities. "But whether it can become a hit depends on the pricing."

The turning point came on April 25th. Based on the pre - sale price of 329,800 RMB, the ID.ERA 9X offered a series of preferential policies, which brought the price of the ID.ERA 9X down to the 290,000 - RMB level.

Photo by Future Auto Daily

With a price of less than 300,000 RMB for a joint - venture full - size SUV, the market response to the ID.ERA 9X underwent a 180 - degree turn. Within an hour after its launch, the number of locked orders for the new ID.ERA 9X reached 11,079.

"After the pre - sale price was announced, many users came to view the car. Even many users who didn't usually pay attention to Volkswagen came to see the ID.ERA 9X." The reason behind this is very simple.

Among the user groups that the ID.ERA 9X targets, many people also pay attention to the Li L9 and the AITO M9. These users generally believe that the product capabilities and brand influence of Li Auto and AITO are stronger than those of Volkswagen. "So when the price difference is not significant, users will directly choose Li Auto and AITO."

However, the price difference of over 100,000 RMB also attracted the attention of some potential users to the ID.ERA 9X. "With a price difference of 100,000 RMB, and considering that SAIC Volkswagen's quality and technology are not bad, anyone can figure out which is a better deal."

In addition to using price to stimulate the market, SAIC Volkswagen pays more attention to the satisfaction of the users who locked their orders in the early stage, which is regarded as the "foundation for sustainable development" by SAIC Volkswagen.

"Regarding the issue of maintaining popularity, the industry has recently mentioned the 'new - car death effect', that is, the initial popularity is high, but it may decline sharply within three months. The key to breaking this is to strengthen user operations. The 3,000 loyal fans who placed blind orders and the 10,000 users who locked their orders for the ID.ERA 9X are the groups that trust us the most. We need to continuously