Original content from New Energy Perspective (ID: xinnengyuanqianzhan)

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Following AITO's resurgence, the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance's inaugural new product launch event predominantly spotlighted ZHIJIE.

On September 28th, the ZHIJIE RX, hailed as the 'ultimate driving machine' by the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, made its official debut, accompanied by the updated ZHIJIE R7. Meanwhile, the XIANGJIE V8 was merely announced for pre-sale, with Yu Chengdong dedicating minimal time to its promotion.

Figure/ZHIJIE R7

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

Since the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance and AITO jointly unveiled the 'Explanation of AITO's Cooperation Model with Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance' on September 15th, Yu Chengdong has repeatedly clarified and addressed the partnership dynamics between the two entities, including at this latest product launch.

As Yu Chengdong stated, 'The AITO brand, the first creation of the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, marks a significant milestone in cross-sector integration and industrial upgrading. As the brand matures, AITO will transition to a new cooperation model, with Seres taking the lead and Huawei Terminal providing support.'

On the surface, all five brands under the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance umbrella remain, but from a cooperation standpoint, the 'Five Brands' have effectively been reduced to 'Four.'

With the top performer 'moving on', the Alliance's priority now shifts to nurturing the next standout brand. Among ZUNJIE, XIANGJIE, ZHIJIE, and SHANGJIE, which will rise to prominence? Based on both establishment time and sales performance, ZHIJIE logically emerges as the frontrunner. But can it uphold the Alliance's banner and even surpass AITO's achievements?

1. ZHIJIE's New Models: Pushing Technological Boundaries

Prior to these new launches, ZHIJIE had three models on the market: the all-electric sedan ZHIJIE S7, the mid-to-large SUV ZHIJIE R7, and the mid-to-large MPV ZHIJIE V9. Surprisingly, the ZHIJIE V9 leads in sales.

According to Gasgoo data, ZHIJIE's sales in July and August were 10,709 and 8,561 units, respectively, with the ZHIJIE V9 contributing 10,101 and 8,283 units, accounting for over 90% of total sales.

Figure/ZHIJIE and ZHIJIE V9 sales in July and August

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

ZHIJIE urgently needs to boost its presence in the SUV and sedan segments, and the ZHIJIE RX and updated ZHIJIE R7 are positioned as key drivers for this growth.

The ZHIJIE RX, the first SUV in the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance's lineup to bear an 'X' designation, is priced between RMB 259,800 and RMB 389,800 and is positioned as a mid-to-large all-electric coupe SUV.

Figure/ZHIJIE RX pricing

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

The model's most notable feature is the mass production of the L3 autonomous driving architecture. The ZHIJIE RX Ultra and higher trims are equipped with an autonomous driving system designed for the L3 era, featuring 38 fused perception sensors, including a quad-LiDAR matrix. It incorporates full-link redundancy in power supply, communication, perception, steering, and braking, and has already secured an L3 autonomous driving road test license.

Within the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance's current product range, the RX stands out as the only model in the RMB 300,000 price bracket equipped with an L3 autonomous driving architecture.

Figure/ZHIJIE RX

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

Another highlight of this model is its chassis and driving control, which give Yu Chengdong the confidence to label it the 'ultimate driving machine.' It features Huawei's TULING platform, dual-chamber air suspension, dual-valve continuously variable damping shock absorbers, HUAWEI DATS dynamic adaptive torque system, and multi-intent torque vectoring control, making its debut on this model.

The simultaneously launched updated ZHIJIE R7 follows a strategy of offering more features at a lower price. To create a family-oriented volume model, the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance invested RMB 500 million in eight comprehensive upgrades: intelligence, luxury, comfort, health, space, range, safety, and aesthetics. The price has been adjusted to between RMB 239,800 and RMB 319,800.

For instance, the cabin now features the Alliance's first dual 17.2-inch Butterfly Wing 3.4K linked screens, paired with a 26-inch HUD and a streaming media rearview mirror. In terms of space, the trunk has been expanded to 852L, with a new 106L electrically suctioned and ejected front trunk and an 80L hidden storage compartment. For safety, it upgrades to an 896-line dual-optical-path LiDAR and a co-optical-path cabin radar, with 36 sensors throughout the vehicle supporting Qiankun Intelligent Driving ADS 5.

Figure/ZHIJIE R7 standard features

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

Thus, Yu Chengdong believes that the fully updated ZHIJIE R7 offers an experience surpassing that of vehicles priced between RMB 400,000 and RMB 500,000.

2. ZHIJIE Emerges as the 'Lead Brand' of the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance

The presence of Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue added significant weight to this 'ZHIJIE-exclusive' launch event.

'The first sedan, the first coupe SUV, the first luxury MPV, and the first tech-luxury coupe SUV of the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance were all first launched under ZHIJIE,' Yin Tongyue remarked. 'Mr. Yu always assigns the toughest tasks to the ZHIJIE team, and they consistently deliver.'

Yin Tongyue revealed that since Huawei and Chery officially launched the ZHIJIE brand in 2023, cumulative deliveries across all ZHIJIE models have approached 200,000 units.

Figure/Yin Tongyue reveals that cumulative deliveries of all ZHIJIE models are approaching 200,000 units

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

Clearly, this sales volume ranks second only to AITO among the 'Five Brands' and leads by a substantial margin among the 'Four Brands.' With AITO effectively stepping back from the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, ZHIJIE has officially been elevated from 'deputy lead brand' to 'lead brand.'

From a resource allocation perspective, ZHIJIE has indeed been equipped as the 'new leader.' In August 2025, Chery and Huawei signed the ZHIJIE Brand Strategy 2.0 cooperation agreement, investing over RMB 10 billion, assembling a 5,000-strong R&D team, establishing an independently operated ZHIJIE New Energy Company, and achieving integrated production, sales, and service operations.

Figure/Chery and Huawei sign the ZHIJIE Brand Strategy 2.0 cooperation agreement

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

This level of investment surpasses that of the other three brands in the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance. For comparison, SAIC initially invested over RMB 6 billion in SHANGJIE, while BAIC invested over RMB 20 billion in XIANGJIE. However, XIANGJIE only sold approximately 24,000 units from January to August, with both channel and product strategies still in the developmental phase.

AITO's departure has not only freed up Huawei's manpower but also, according to channel network planning, existing exclusive stores will be divided into two types: one exclusively selling the full AITO lineup, and the other offering a mixed selection of the four brands: ZHIJIE, XIANGJIE, ZUNJIE, and SHANGJIE. This means ZHIJIE will gain a larger share of the display and test drive resources previously dominated by AITO.

Additionally, keen observers will have noticed that the previous order of the 'Five Brands' at Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance launch events was AITO, ZHIJIE, XIANGJIE, ZUNJIE, and SHANGJIE. This time, the order was adjusted to ZUNJIE, XIANGJIE, ZHIJIE, SHANGJIE, and AITO. The signals regarding who takes center stage and who remains in the background are unmistakable.

Figure/Order of the 'Five Brands' at the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance launch event

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

Although Yu Chengdong stated, 'We will focus on ZUNJIE, XIANGJIE, ZHIJIE, and SHANGJIE, ensuring each brand receives more abundant resources,' from the perspectives of investment scale and consumer base, ZHIJIE is clearly the brand that should be prioritized the most.

3. Can ZHIJIE Step Up to the Challenge?

Resources are one aspect; inherent strength is another. ZHIJIE first faces the challenge of a 'high-start-low-momentum' trajectory.

Both the ZHIJIE S7 and ZHIJIE R7 have experienced periods of success. The ZHIJIE S7 was launched at the 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show, quickly amassing over 20,000 pre-orders. It peaked in sales in April 2024, with monthly sales exceeding 5,000 units, but by July 2026, retail sales had dwindled to just 160 units. The ZHIJIE R7 saw an even more dramatic trend, reaching a brand-high of 15,903 units in December 2024 before experiencing a precipitous decline starting at the end of 2025, with retail sales dropping to just 772 units in July 2026.

Figure/ZHIJIE R7 sales in December 2024

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

Both models went from being blockbusters to marginalized within about a year.

While the current ZHIJIE V9 data looks impressive, it also faces structural risks. Within the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance ecosystem, the ZUNJIE V800/V680 is positioned as a multi-million-yuan ultra-luxury MPV, cannibalizing the V9's top-tier high-end business market. The XIANGJIE V8, positioned as a RMB 300,000-level high-end family MPV, pins down the V9's entry-level price point from below. With Huawei technology shared across the brands and high-low positioning squeezing from both directions, this 'dimensional internal competition' within the same ecosystem exerts pressure that external competitors cannot match.

Figure/XIANGJIE V8

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

Additionally, changes in the sales channel represent a double-edged sword. While the mixed-brand sales model allows ZHIJIE to benefit from the display space vacated by AITO, it also means that sales advisors must promote four brands simultaneously. Brand differentiation becomes further diluted in this mixed environment, with both explanation time and test drive resources being spread thinner across each brand.

Another more practical issue is that ZHIJIE models are still operating at a loss, with each unit sold incurring a loss of RMB 20,000 to RMB 30,000.

Huawei defines vehicles priced in the RMB 200,000 range using standards approaching the RMB 1 million level, placing significant cost pressure on Chery. The Strategy 2.0, which involves investing over RMB 10 billion and assembling a 5,000-strong team, is essentially a gamble on long-term returns. However, the premise of this gamble is that ZHIJIE must establish sustainable sales pillars in the larger SUV and sedan markets, as a single MPV model cannot support the future of an entire brand.

Undoubtedly, the launch of the ZHIJIE RX and the updated ZHIJIE R7 represents a crucial step for ZHIJIE to escape this dilemma.

Figure/ZHIJIE RX and ZHIJIE R7

Source/Internet Screenshot from New Energy Perspective

AITO achieved one million units in 46 months, relying on the trust established by the M7 and M9 in the family SUV market. ZHIJIE also needs to build its own trust—not through resource prioritization at launch events or Yin Tongyue's description of a 'Porsche flavor,' but through the products themselves.

When the ZHIJIE V9 maintains its position as the 'No. 1 in MPV market sales,' the updated ZHIJIE R7 breaks the brand's all-time monthly sales record, and the 'ultimate