The luxury of Great Wall Motor Wey The brand – which will debut as a sub-brand in Australia later this year – has just unveiled a new flagship SUV, which will be the first model based on its new GWM One S platform.
The Wey V9X is a full-size six-seater SUV measuring no less than 5299 mm in length, 2025 mm in width and 1825 mm in height with a wheelbase of 3150 mm. This makes it over 200mm longer than the GWM Tank 500, which itself is similar in size to a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and has a 300mm longer wheelbase.
A slightly shorter version with a wheelbase of 3050 mm and an overall length of 5205 mm is also available. Interestingly, this one is aimed at families, while the longer V9X is aimed at executives.
The V9X for Australia has yet to be confirmed, but GWM says it is “under consideration”.
It introduces the new GWM One S architecture, a new “super platform” that will support everything from sedans and SUVs to small and sports cars, supporting a range of powertrains including gasoline, plug-in hybrid, diesel hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell.
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All V9Xs feature a Super Hi4 plug-in hybrid system (PHEV) with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 175kW of power and 385Nm of torque, as well as an electric motor on each axle, all-wheel drive and a dedicated four-speed hybrid transmission.
GWM also had examples on display at the Beijing Motor Show with “EV” and “HEV” license plates, but no details are yet available on other powertrains.
There are three different configurations, all featuring dual-chamber air suspension with continuously variable damping and rear-wheel steering and riding on 21-inch alloy wheels.
The Luxury Family Edition uses a ternary lithium battery with 66.6 kWh and an electric range of 312 km on the WLTC cycle. A front electric motor with 110 kW/170 Nm and a rear motor with 220 kW/380 Nm, together with the four-cylinder engine, ensure a total system output of 500 kW and 930 Nm.
While the other variants use an 800 V electrical system, the Luxury Extended version is the only one with a 400 V system and has the smallest battery capacity in the range at 55.4 kWh. The electric range drops to 240 km.
It uses 100kW/170Nm and 240kW/312Nm electric motors for a total output of 510kW and 862Nm.
Finally, the flagship, the Executive Extended Version, upgrades to an 800 V system and an 80 kWh battery and offers the longest electric range in the product range at 363 km.
It has 110kW/170Nm and 270kW/380Nm electric motors, giving a total system output of 550kW and 930Nm.
The V9X’s total combined range is between 1,343 and 1,377 km on the WLTC cycle, depending on the variant, while fuel consumption is 6.3 l/100 km.
Maximum DC charging power is 490 kW and a 30-80 percent charge reportedly takes nine minutes.
The stated acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h is just 4.6 seconds when fully charged or 4.8 seconds when the battery is discharged.
As a flagship luxury SUV, the V9X is expected to offer an opulent, tech-packed interior.
In the interior there is Nappa leather on all seating surfaces and suede on the headliner and on the pillars as standard.
The door panel is inspired by Eastern architecture and the Wey logo is integrated into the stitching. GWM reports a total of over 38,000 stitches in the cabin.
There is a 29-inch augmented reality head-up display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 17.3-inch touchscreens on the center and passenger sides.
The driver’s seat cushion has integrated airbags that allow for four levels of firmness and has the necessary heating, ventilation and massage functions.
The second row has a 21.4-inch 4K screen, the captain’s chairs are equipped with heating and ventilation, and the doors are equipped with cell phone chargers. Only the right seat features a 22-point full-body massage zero gravity seat with a four-way power adjustable and heated legrest.
The third row is heated and power-folding, and GWM says a 185cm tall passenger can sit back comfortably here.
The V9X has four soft-close doors, which in some variants can be opened and closed at the push of a button.
There is an electric tailgate and behind it there is 244 liters of luggage space available, which expands to 1024 liters when the two rear rows of seats are folded down.
The V9X uses a 3080W Coffee AI Sound audio system with 31 speakers, headrest mounted speakers and Dolby Atmos.
Standard equipment also includes a panoramic sunroof, three-zone automatic climate control, a heating and cooling refrigerator and adaptive matrix LED headlights, with micropixel headlights and a fragrance system available.
There’s a Sentinel mode and in-car karaoke, while five different chatbot personas provide “high-quality, 24/7 emotional support” and an in-car AI-powered encyclopedia can answer questions about the vehicle. Xiao Wei is the name of the mascot in the car.
“The system detects your emotional state through visual perception and supports emotional feedback such as gaze and smile, heart gestures and thumbs up. Xiao Wei is always there, maximizing emotional value,” says GWM.
The suite of active safety and driver assistance technology is powered by a LiDAR, a three-millimeter wave radar, 12 ultrasonic radars and 11 cameras.
According to GWM, this supports “high-speed driving (navigation on autopilot) with intelligent navigation assistance” and assisted driving from parking lot to parking lot.
There’s remote and autonomous parking with reverse tracking and memory functionality, while active safety technology includes front and rear cross-traffic alert.
The new flagship joins a growing segment of SUVs in China measuring more than 5.2 meters in length, almost all of which have a “9” in their name and have either a plug-in hybrid, electric or range electric drive under the hood.
These include the Aito M9, BYD Great Tang, Denza N9, IM LS9, Lynk & Co 900, Xpeng GX and the Zeekr 9X.
The V9X will slot above the Lanshan – a 5156mm long three-row plug-in hybrid SUV – as the flagship of the Wey brand, which was founded in 2016.
The only other Wey vehicles currently are the Gaoshan people mover (which is expected to be available in Australia this year) and the Mocha, a mid-to-large PHEV crossover SUV.
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