Gasgoo Munich- SAIC Volkswagen officially launched the ID. ERA 9X on April 25 during Auto China 2026. The new lineup includes three all-wheel-drive trims—Pro, Max, and Ultra—with official guide prices ranging from 309,800 yuan to 359,800 yuan. A limited-time offer runs from April 25 to May 31, bringing the price down to between 299,800 yuan and 349,800 yuan.Image Source: SAIC VolkswagenPacked with Nine Breakthrough Technologies, 10,000 Orders Placed in First HourAs the flagship debut of SAIC Volkswagen's "Joint Venture 2.0" era, the ID. ERA 9X targets the 300,000-yuan premium new-energy segment. It blends "German engineering with Chinese intelligence," focusing on real user needs. Equipped with nine breakthrough technologies, it promises luxury from the base model up—delivering full specs across the entire lineup.Central to the package is the EA211 Golden Range Extender, which maintains consistent power whether driving on high-altitude plateaus or in freezing conditions. Paired with the CATL Xiaoyao battery and its nine-layer protection system, it offers a CLTC pure-electric range exceeding 400 km and a total range of 1,651 km. The Cloud Intelligent Chassis integrates dual-chamber air suspension, DCC adaptive damping, and rear-wheel steering, achieving a tight 4.85-meter turning radius usually seen in smaller cars. Inside, the Cloud Cabin links nine screens, while the Smart Surface display balances tech with utility. Other highlights include Dynamic Zero-Gravity Seats for long-haul comfort, Breeze Air Conditioning to avoid direct drafts, and an ANC active noise cancellation system for a quiet cabin. It's "human-centric tech" designed to meet real consumer demands.Since pre-sales opened on March 30, the ID. ERA 9X has garnered over 10,000 orders, with more than 3,000 customers already locking in their purchases—a figure that continues to climb. Over half of the buyers are young drivers seeking intelligent features and driving dynamics, while female buyers make up a notable portion. Significantly, more than half of the orders are coming from customers switching from other brands.Image Source: SAIC VolkswagenGlobal Debut of Momenta R7 Reinforcement Learning World ModelAt the event, Momenta CEO Cao Xudong announced that the ID. ERA 9X will be the first to feature the Momenta R7 reinforcement learning world model. By bringing "Physical AI" into the vehicle, the system aims to propel intelligent assisted driving into the industry's top tier.Image Source: SAIC VolkswagenIn essence, R7 enables AI to truly grasp the underlying laws of the physical world—understanding physical properties, causal relationships, and potential interactions. On top of this, the reinforcement learning world model provides a training ground that adheres to physical laws. For scenarios encountered for the first time in reality, R7 has already run multiple simulations in this virtual environment. It is designed specifically to tackle those "one-in-a-million" long-tail edge cases. These rare moments mark the shift from assisted driving being a novelty to a highlight, serving as the key to building user trust and forming the safety baseline that must be met.In daily driving, this capability translates to earlier anticipation and smoother handling of complex scenarios. Facing a "dooring" risk, the system predicts the door fully opening and the pedestrian's path before it happens. Spotting a plastic bag on the road, it accurately determines whether it poses a threat, avoiding unnecessary sudden braking or swerving. Encountering a falling crate of apples, it instantly predicts the scattering trajectory to plan the optimal avoidance route. It can also precisely identify special scenarios like workers loading bicycles, reducing misjudgments. The system's false braking metric has been optimized by at least threefold.Image Source: SAIC VolkswagenNotably, applying near-obsessive safety standards, SAIC Volkswagen has raised the AEB stopping speed to 140 km/h, covering extreme weather and special scenarios. Combined with R7's "spatio-temporal window" perception capabilities, this makes intelligent assisted driving safer, more efficient, and smoother—enabling truly seamless gate-to-gate travel and alleviating commuter anxiety.This deep coupling of "German hardware foundations with Chinese AI algorithms" drives a shift in intelligent assisted driving from "rule-based" systems to "learning, reasoning, and prediction." For the industry, the deployment of R7 redefines the efficiency of solving long-tail scenarios. Meanwhile, the deep partnership between Volkswagen and Momenta offers a replicable model for multinational automakers building localized AI capabilities in China.For SAIC Volkswagen, the ID. ERA 9X serves as the first answer of the Joint Venture 2.0 era and a litmus test for whether the "China-led R&D, global-standard empowerment" strategy can truly close the market loop. The industry is watching for more than just a new "range-extender king"—it is looking for a replicable path for joint ventures to break through in the intelligent vehicle race.
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