An all-electric variant of the hot-selling Aito M9 crossover (see specs) backed by Huawei and Seres scored five stars in the C-NCAP safety and crash test. Its overall performance is higher than the M9’s major competitor Li Auto L9 (see specs). It makes Aito M9 the safest car evaluated in China.
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The Aito M9 is a full-size SUV developed jointly by Huawei and Dongfeng’s Seres. It boasts 5230/1999/1800 mm dimensions with a wheelbase of 3110 mm. Inside, the Aito M9 has six with a 2+2+2 layout. The BEV variant of this crossover offers two e-motors for 390 kW (523 hp) mated to a 100 kWh battery pack, suitable for 630 km CLTC. The EREV version generates 365 kW (489 hp) and has an electric range of 225-275 km CLTC. The Aito M9 has a price range of 469,800 – 569,800 yuan (64,700 – 78,500 USD).
C-NCAP safety and crash performance program was formed in 2006 under the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC). It was criticized for awarding five stars to cars with poor safety due to soft crash tests. However, the C-NCAP program changed, becoming quite close to the Euro NCAP assessment program. As we have seen previously, various cars scored the same in C-NCAP and Euro-NCAP, including the Nio ET7 electric sedan (see specs).
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Aito M9 crash test results
The tested Aito M9 is a Max BEV trim level priced at 509,800 yuan (70,200 USD). The evaluation agency bought it anonymously at a random dealer with its own money on May 24. This variant is an entry-level modification of the M9 BEV. Its main differences compared to the top-trim variant are the absence of smart headlights, an intelligent LiDAR system, and zero-gravity seats.
The Aito M9 scored a total rating of five stars in the C-NCAP with the exact performance of 93.9%. It is 11.2% higher than the average performance of models that participated in the 2021-year C-NCAP safety test. Moreover, it is 2.6% higher than the performance of the Li Auto L9 EREV crossover. It makes the Aito M9 the safest car tested by CATARC.
In the occupant protection segment, the Aito M9 scored 96.98%. Pedestrian protection is the weakest category of the M9 with a performance of 75.38% (still 3.2% higher than average). On the contrary, the M9 scored highest in the active safety segment with 97.79%.
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The Aito M9 started sales in China in February this year. In February-July 2024, its cumulative sales reached 58,823 units.
Source: CATARC
