Epicland, a high-end new energy vehicle brand collaboratively developed by Dongfeng Motor and Huawei Qiankun through full-stack co-creation, has made clear its ambition to compete in China's premium vehicle market with the debut of its first model, the Epicland X9 large SUV, at Auto China 2026.

With an investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.463 billion), the two sides have set up a 5,000-person team, aiming to integrate the best chassis and platform resources from Dongfeng with Huawei's latest intelligent technologies.

"Integrating Dongfeng's chassis and safety accumulation with Huawei's top intelligent technologies, with both software and hardware reaching the industry's highest level. This is our confidence to stand firm in the market," Zeng Qinglin, brand general manager of Epicland, said in an interview on Friday.

The brand said it plans to launch five models within three years, as it focuses on refining its products and services rather than simply benchmarking against competitors, Zeng noted.

As Epicland's first model, the X9 is positioned in the high-end segment above 500,000 yuan, with its price expected to be announced in the third quarter.

At the auto show, Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei's intelligent automotive solutions business unit, announced that the X9 comes standard with Huawei's QianKun ADS 5 driving assistance system and 896-line image-grade LiDAR. It features Level 3 driving assistance software and hardware redundancy capabilities, covering various travel scenarios such as urban roads and highways.

"Safety is the most important thing," Zeng emphasized. The vehicle's body strength reaches an industry-leading 2400MPa, combined with top-level battery safety and Huawei Kunlun CAS5.0, embodying the concept that "safety is the greatest luxury" and providing comprehensive protection for family users.

He noted that the market for large six-seater vehicles priced around 500,000 yuan is still expanding, with family users continuing to show increasing demand for spaciousness and high-end features — a key reason for Epicland's focus on this segment.

In line with its high-end positioning, Epicland is focusing on 79 key cities nationwide and plans to build more than 300 high-end service outlets. Among its partners, 60 percent are national top 100 dealers, and 80 percent of the stores are built by luxury brand investors and operation teams.