Original by New Energy Outlook (ID: xinnengyuanqianzhan)

Full text: 2993 words, reading time: 9 minutes

Nowadays, car models at the same price range seem to be more diverse than the types of drinks in a supermarket. How to choose a cost-effective car model that won't make oneself regret has become a difficult problem plaguing many consumers.

Xue Qi (pseudonym) is one of the typical representatives. He recently planned to buy a new car and intended to purchase it during the May Day holiday, but the holiday passed, and he still couldn't choose a suitable model. "Each model differs in performance, appearance, interior, configuration, etc., making it difficult to weigh the options."

Just as Xue Qi was caught in the happy dilemma of buying a car, a salesperson's suggestion, "Choosing a car with '9' in its name is definitely right," made him see the light.

Behind this seemingly mystical advice involving numbers lies the truth about buying cars in the market - auto enterprises name their products with '9' to tell consumers that these are flagship products with the highest quality and the most cutting-edge technology in their respective classes.

1. From 200,000 to millions, '9'-series models cover all price ranges

Throughout the current auto market, multiple brands such as Deep Blue, Lynk & Co., AITO, NIO, and Zeekr are competing to affix the '9' series to their flagship products. From 200,000-yuan family cars to million-yuan luxury cars, models named with '9' seem to be building a consumption moat that covers all price ranges.

Xue Qi, with a budget of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, finally decided on a Deep Blue S09. "As Deep Blue's flagship model, this car feels more cost-effective compared to other models in the same class and better meets my family's need for high-quality travel."

The Deep Blue S09 is positioned as a medium to large SUV, with a pre-sale price of 239,900 to 309,900 yuan, and will be officially launched and delivered on May 22.

Photo/Deep Blue S09

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

The new car comes standard with a CATL 40.18kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack, equipped with Huawei Kunlun intelligent driving and HarmonySpace 5 Hongmeng cockpit; in terms of configuration, it is equipped with a movable central island, a 10-liter vehicle refrigerator, a rear small table, etc.

It should be noted that, in the same price range, besides the S09 launched by Deep Blue, Roadstar also deployed its flagship model L90 this year.

According to the information currently released by its official channel, Roadstar L90 is positioned as a flagship SUV for large families, expected to be launched and sold in the third quarter. The new car comes standard with an 85kWh battery, is compatible with NIO's fourth-generation battery swap stations, and is equipped with 5C ultra-fast charging, which can add 400km of range in 10 minutes; at the same time, it also boasts practical configurations such as a 240L intelligent electric front trunk and front and rear tires of different widths.

Photo/Roadstar L90

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

What about a budget of over 300,000 yuan?

Using the price of the auto market as the coordinate axis, let's take a closer look at specific segments.

Lynk & Co. 900, based on the SPA Evo architecture, has an official guide price of 309,900 to 416,900 yuan. It adopts a combination of closed dual-chamber air springs and CDC continuous damping control systems, is equipped with the Qianli Haohan intelligent safety assistance driving system, and is equipped with a 30-inch 6K rear entertainment screen, second-row seats that can rotate 180 degrees to form a face-to-face seating mode with the third row, a tailgate designed with a sky-ground door, etc.

Photo/Lynk & Co. 900

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

Xiangjie S9 comes in both extended-range and pure electric versions, with starting prices of 309,800 yuan and 399,800 yuan, respectively. It is equipped with Huawei's ADS 3.3 intelligent driving system and HarmonyOS 4 intelligent cockpit, and comes standard with four lidar and multiple intelligent hardware across all models; in terms of interior, it adopts a wraparound cockpit layout, with zero-gravity seats in the rear of mid-to-high-end models, which can be reclined with one button.

Photo/Xiangjie S9

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

As China's first mass-produced model equipped with steer-by-wire technology, the NIO ET9 is priced starting at 788,000 yuan, or 660,000 yuan with the BaaS service plan. It adopts the original four-seat layout of the "Executive Bridge" and the "Sky Island" panoramic sunroof. The interior is equipped with more than 20 subsystems, including an electric smart refrigerator, a 360-degree steplessly adjustable executive desk, and a 14.5-inch OLED executive screen with follow-up adjustment.

Photo/NIO ET9

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

The Zeekr 9X will be launched and sold in the third quarter of this year, with an expected starting price of 1 million yuan for the Radiance Edition. It is reported that this model adopts Zeekr's self-developed Haohan Intelligent Driving 5.0 system, is equipped with five lidar and dual Thor intelligent driving chips, with a computing power of up to 1400TOPS.

Photo/Zeekr 9X

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

Of course, there are far more models with '9' than the ones mentioned above, but it is certain that they all deserve the attention of consumers.

2. Mysticism or high cost-performance? Why are consumers obsessed with '9'-series models

'Car license plates should have '8', floors should avoid '4', and mobile phone numbers should end in '6.'"

In Chinese consumer behavior, numerical mysticism seems to have never been absent. However, in the auto market, consumers' preference for '9'-series models does not stem from mysticism but is a rational choice based on product strength.

Several consumers frankly stated the reasons why they would prioritize choosing models named with '9' when buying a car. "When buying a car, I focused on researching the technical endorsement of the brand's flagship models. Auto enterprises often concentrate their core technologies and top configurations on 9-series models, just like the Pro Max version of a phone, representing the brand's highest standard."

'As a means of transportation, quality and safety should be prioritized when buying a car. 9-series models are generally the highest-level flagship models within a brand, with high-quality assurance.'

This viewpoint is quite representative among owners of '9'-series models.

Chen Cheng (pseudonym), the owner of a Lynk & Co. 09 EM-P, said that the core reason he chose this car is its flagship-level safety configuration. "Compared to price, I value the safety of the vehicle more, as it has to carry my entire family on trips. I initially chose the Lynk & Co. 09 EM-P not only because of its strong body impact resistance but also because its battery is supplied by CATL, which ensures good safety and stability."

Photo/Lynk & Co. 09 EM-P

Source/Screenshot from the internet by New Energy Outlook

'A car is a big item for me. If I'm going to buy one, it has to be one with strong overall strength. The combination of Huawei's intelligent driving and CATL's battery in the Deep Blue S09 is a 'double top-of-the-line' configuration that is hard to find alternatives for in the same price range,' said Xue Qi, a prospective owner of the Deep Blue S09.

Unlike the above consumers, Song Yunyun (pseudonym), the owner of a Xiangjie S9, values not only safety and technology but also the appearance and interior configuration of the vehicle when buying a car. 'I have always wanted to buy a car that looks good and can easily handle both picking up and dropping off my kids and business negotiations. In comparison, the S9, as Xiangjie's flagship model, excels in all aspects among cars of the same price range.'

From the feedback of many consumers, we gradually discovered that the formation of this cognitive inertia among consumers is closely related to the special positioning of flagship models by auto enterprises.

It is understood that flagship products are often created by integrating the brand's latest platform, strongest technology, and best supply chain.

Taking the AITO M9 as an example, its submarine-grade hot-formed steel accounts for 24.4%, and its body torsional stiffness reaches 36,500N·m/°. The batteries equipped across all models are supplied by CATL, a leading Chinese power battery enterprise, while the intelligent configuration is provided by Huawei, a leading Chinese technology enterprise.

Photo/AITO M9

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

Undoubtedly, this product strategy of 'fully loaded configurations' fully satisfies consumers' demand for 'having it all' - enjoying the best or even superior configurations within the same class within their budget. The 'exceeding expectations' experience is precisely the underlying logic for consumers to be willing to pay for '9'-series models.

3. The 'gold content' of services hidden in '9'-series models

When it comes to buying a car, many people think that picking one with high configuration and good performance is all that's needed, but that's not the case. Whether a car is good or not requires not only considering its product strength but also paying attention to its soft power in services, etc., only in this way can one truly achieve peace of mind and assurance in future car use.

The example of Mr. Liu (pseudonym) is the best illustration. According to his recollection, he previously believed that as long as the quality of the vehicle itself was excellent, there would be no problem, but when he actually used the car, he found that after-sales service was also crucial.

'Especially around short holidays like the National Day holiday and Chinese New Year, there are many people at 4S stores for maintenance and repairs. In such situations, my previous electric car had to wait in line for repairs, and the waiting time was more than half a month.'

Based on his previous experience, Mr. Liu, who recently planned to replace his car, also included after-sales service as a necessary consideration point when choosing a car. 'I did some research online and found that models named with '9' are often the flagship offerings of major brands, offering more considerate services in terms of maintenance, repairs, etc., and making future car use more worry-free.'

There are not a few consumers who share Mr. Liu's view.

Most consumers who have purchased '9'-series models believe that the quality advantage of 9-series models is not only reflected in hardware configuration but also in an 'invisible' service system that allows consumers to feel what 'flagship treatment' is like every day from buying to using the car. 'I bought a 9-series car, partly because of its after-sales service.'

A salesperson from a new energy brand said that the target customers for their flagship models are mostly high-net-worth individuals, who are mostly willing to pay for services and are most likely to influence the car-buying decisions of those around them. Therefore, the service resources matched with flagship models are definitely the best.

Taking specific models as examples, NIO ET9 owners not only enjoy the same services as owners of other NIO models, such as free maintenance, pickup, and delivery for five years, lifetime free on-site tire repair, roadside assistance, and accident assurance, but also enjoy exclusive benefits such as 50 hours of full-scenario driver service per year for three years and 12 ET9 business travel pickup and delivery services per year for three years.

Photo/NIO ET9 Exclusive Benefits

Source/Screenshot from the internet by New Energy Outlook

In addition, in terms of energy replenishment, NIO ET9 has upgraded from the original 20 free battery swaps per year for five years to 6 free battery swaps per month for 10 years.

Owners of the Zeekr 009 Radiance Edition not only enjoy a lifetime 'Peace of Mind Escort Renewal Plan', including free maintenance throughout the vehicle's lifecycle, unlimited maintenance pickup and delivery, etc., but also have exclusive benefits, such as access to a membership worth one million yuan in the 'China Entrepreneur Flying Club', achieving seamless connection between private jet and limousine services.

Photo/Zeekr 009 Radiance Edition

Source/Photographed by New Energy Outlook

It seems that '9'-series models are not only supported by hardware from high-quality suppliers but also empowered by 'software' with the full force of the enterprise.

For consumers, buying a car is a big deal that requires considering all aspects. Faced with the rapid introduction of new models in the new energy market, to avoid pitfalls and achieve peace of mind and assurance, choosing models with '9' in their names may be the optimal solution in the current market.

[The lead image is generated by AI]