Geely has flipped the table on the large six-seat SUV

Author | Zhou Zhiyu

Editor | Zhang Xiaoling

On the table of new energy vehicles, the six-seat SUV market has become a red ocean. Li Auto, with its precise positioning as a "dad car," has maximized the needs of family users and successfully anchored its price above 300,000 yuan, while Geely has built a car at half the price, charging into this market.

On September 17th, in Hangzhou, the Geely Galaxy M9 was officially launched, and a striking price was revealed: a limited-time starting price of 173,800 yuan.

This price is about half of the prices of existing players in the mainstream plug-in hybrid six-seat SUV market. When Guan Jiuyang, deputy general manager of Geely Automobile Sales Company, revealed that pre-sale orders had exceeded 40,000 units within 24 hours, both inside and outside the industry understood that Geely was bringing a whole new approach to rewrite the order on the table.

The goal of the Geely Galaxy M9 is clear: to use flagship-level configurations at mainstream market prices, aiming to be a "half-price Li Auto."

To make the Galaxy M9 a hit, Geely has put in considerable effort.

Yi Xinyu, head of Geely's Vehicle Research Institute, mentioned a detail during an interview. In user research, the team discovered a typical scenario: users purchasing six-seat models always first dive into the third row to feel how comfortable it is, imagining their parents and children sitting inside, before returning to the driver's seat to check other configurations.

This insight almost determined the core of the M9 product. In the past, the development model of car companies was assembly line-style, with R&D, manufacturing, and sales each performing their own roles. Now, Geely has completely broken down departmental walls, allowing R&D and sales to work closely together, co-creating and thinking around the most genuine needs of users from a blank slate.

The results of this transformation are directly reflected in the Galaxy M9's almost obsessive pursuit of space.

With a length of over 5.2 meters and a wheelbase of over 3 meters, it offers the largest interior area of 5.2 square meters in its class and a room utilization rate of up to 88.3%.

This is the realization of the "three-row equality" concept. While many six-seat SUVs have their third row reduced to "pet seats," the Galaxy M9's third row boasts the largest reclining angle of 150° in its class, ensuring that even with all seats occupied, the trunk can still easily accommodate six 20-inch carry-on suitcases.

In addition to physical space, the intelligent software space is another core weapon of the M9. Li Chuanhai, vice president of Geely Automobile Group, admitted that Geely's goal is to create "an emotional, warm, and thinking intelligent mobility life form." Behind this is Geely's continued heavy investment in AI since the launch of its "Intelligent Geely 2025" strategy in 2021.

The Galaxy M9 is almost a concentrated display of Geely's "full-domain AI" system. It is the first to feature the Galaxy FlymeAuto2 intelligent cockpit, equipped with a 30-inch 6K integrated sky screen powered by the Qualcomm 8295P flagship chip, as well as the industry-leading "Qianli Haohan" H5 assisted driving solution, claiming to achieve "city NOA from parking space to parking space."

More importantly, Geely has integrated AI capabilities into the vehicle: the AI digital chassis revolutionizes the driving experience of large vehicles; AI Cloud Power 2.0 can predict road conditions, intelligently assess, and automatically execute the optimal fuel-electric strategy, reducing fuel consumption to the 4L level; even the suspension, steering, and braking systems are coordinated and controlled by AI When Li Auto defined the 1.0 era of family vehicles with "refrigerators, color TVs, and large sofas," Geely attempted to elevate the experience to the next dimension with ubiquitous AI.

"The positioning of the Galaxy M9 is undoubtedly the flagship product of the Galaxy brand," said Fan Junyi, General Manager of Geely Automobile Sales Company, in an interview. "It not only needs to bear sales but also the mission of elevating the brand."

In recent years, Geely's Galaxy series has produced blockbuster models at an astonishing "Galaxy speed," with monthly sales of models like Xingyuan, A7, and Xingjian 7 all exceeding ten thousand. However, in terms of price and brand value, a true flagship has always been needed to make the final push. The Galaxy M9 is precisely this key piece.

Interestingly, the user profile of the M9 shows that over 50% are from government agencies, high-end manufacturing, and professions such as doctors and teachers, representing the backbone of society. The inclusion of these groups will greatly enrich the user composition of the Galaxy brand and help elevate its brand value.

To support a "blockbuster" like the M9, Geely has also made ample preparations in terms of channels and services. Fan Junyi mentioned that the Galaxy channel will strictly implement "open and transparent integrity services," eliminating any form of price gouging.

He stated, "Once such behavior occurs, it will be difficult to achieve sustained sales growth. Moreover, if users pay extra to get the car, it will completely diminish the goodwill towards the initial product." This reverence for user experience may be the confidence behind Geely's willingness to use a half-price strategy to impact the market.

Geely's move is less about initiating a price war and more about re-evaluating the value system of the entire large six-seat SUV market.

When the Galaxy M9 is priced starting at 173,800 yuan, yet offers configurations such as distributed three motors, dual-chamber air suspension, and urban NOA that were previously found in models priced around 300,000 yuan, it poses a sharp question to the market: What is the true value of the brand premium that consumers pay for high-priced products? When the barriers of technology and configuration are leveled, will users still pay for the brand halo beyond "refrigerators, color TVs, and large sofas"?

An even more interesting signal comes from the user level. Geely revealed during the interview that the M9 has attracted a large number of government agencies, high-end manufacturing, and professionals such as doctors and teachers. This group has previously been seen as the core target by brands like Li Auto. Now, they are voting for the "cost-performance ratio" of the Galaxy M9 with their orders, which may indicate a significant migration of key customer groups.

Undoubtedly, through the Galaxy M9, Geely aims not only to create another blockbuster in terms of sales but also hopes to redefine the value benchmark of mainstream family SUVs with this flagship product that integrates the AI capabilities of the entire group.

Whether it can truly shake the old pattern depends on Geely's ability to translate the promises made at the launch event into stable fulfillment of production capacity, quality control, and user reputation. But the game has already changed; the Galaxy M9 has made its move, anchoring not just a price but also a new reflection on the meaning of "flagship" in the entire segmented market