HarmonyOS Zhixing (鸿蒙智行) unveils Xuanwu 2.0 body for AITO (问界) M9 — 13 transverse, 11 longitudinal members; 91% aluminum and high‑strength steel

Announcement

HarmonyOS Zhixing (鸿蒙智行) said the AITO (问界) M9 series will adopt a new Xuanwu vehicle‑body architecture 2.0 featuring a 13‑transverse and 11‑longitudinal structural member layout, with aluminum alloy and high‑strength steel accounting for 91% of the structure. The claim comes from the brand’s official communication and has been reported by Chinese tech media; the company positions the redesign as a major step in improving crash performance and overall chassis stiffness for the M9 family.

Safety and engineering highlights

According to the announcement, front and rear crash structures have been comprehensively optimised: the 7‑series aluminium members are widened, a multi‑chamber energy‑absorbing design is used, and crash beam width, height and bending resistance are up by 5.2%, 36% and 32.1% respectively. Side protection adds high‑strength door intrusion beams and eight zones of 2,200MPa+ TRB hot‑stamped steel, with door strength up 52.5% and roof crush resistance up 19%. The car will reportedly offer up to 13 airbags, an integrated driver‑perception multi‑stage variable airbag plus second‑row remote airbags, head‑thorax combined airbags, zero‑gravity cushion airbags, dual‑stage adaptive load‑limiting belts and pre‑collision high‑torque pretensioners. HarmonyOS Zhixing also says the M9 supports an AI adaptive protection system that can dynamically recognise occupant vitals, posture and collision intensity to adjust protection strategies in real time.

Market context

AITO (问界), developed in partnership with Seres (赛力斯) and Huawei (华为) for software and systems, is one of several Chinese EV efforts that blend traditional automaker hardware with tech‑company software stacks. It has been reported that the M9 launch event was rescheduled to May 27 at 14:30 and that pre‑orders opened immediately after; HarmonyOS Zhixing previously announced cumulative reservations for the new M9 generation exceeded 50,000 units. The model is offered in standard and Ultimate extended versions, with stated pre‑sale prices of ¥499,800 and ¥669,800 respectively. Against a backdrop of tighter U.S. export controls and broader geopolitical pressure, such vertically integrated moves by Chinese tech firms aim to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers — but will engineering claims translate into market advantage? Buyers will soon judge.