Author | Zhou Zhiyu
In March, the new energy MPV sector welcomes a &#34;super listing month.&#34;
XPeng X9 pure electric version, Voyah Dreamer Champion Edition, and Mercedes-Benz VLE are making their debut, while Zhijie V9, Jihu Aito V9, and Leapmotor D99 are gearing up. The 300,000-level family MPV market is reigniting.
Over the past three years, domestic brands have launched a fierce attack on joint venture fuel MPVs, using new energy as a spear and intelligence as a shield. The sales ranking of new energy MPVs in 2025 shows that Denza D9, Voyah Dreamer, and Wey brand Gaoshan occupy the top three spots. The high-end MPV market, once dominated by GL8, Odyssey, and Sienna, has fundamentally changed.
Now, joint venture brands are beginning to counterattack, and intelligent driving is becoming the decisive factor in this chaotic battle.
Wall Street Insights has learned that several car manufacturers, including Voyah, XPeng, and GAC, are accelerating the mass production of L3-level intelligent driving. Voyah Auto Chairman Lu Fang revealed to Wall Street Insights that Voyah's L3 test vehicles have completed over 110,000 kilometers of actual road testing, and &#34;we will soon launch vehicles equipped with L3-level architecture.&#34;
From the competition for space to an arms race in intelligent driving, the competitive dimensions of the MPV sector are undergoing a fundamental transformation. In the second half of the red ocean elimination round, the reshuffle is far from over.
<h2>The Shift of Offense and Defense Between Domestic and Joint Venture Brands</h2>
The Chinese MPV market is undergoing a profound power transition.
In 2000, SAIC-GM introduced the Buick GL8, marking the beginning of the 1.0 era of the Chinese MPV market. Over the past twenty years, the GL8 has almost become synonymous with &#34;business MPV,&#34; with joint venture brands firmly controlling the pricing and discourse power of high-end MPVs.
The turning point occurred in 2022. That year, domestic brands began to launch a direct assault on joint venture fuel MPVs through new energy. According to the &#34;New Energy MPV Market Insight Report&#34; released by the China Automotive Evaluation Center (CCRT), the penetration rate of new energy in the MPV market surged from 9% in 2022 to 49% in 2025. In just three years, new energy MPVs have grown from a marginal category to a mainstream market.
The once-dominant Buick GL8, although still maintaining a volume of over 110,000 units with the addition of the Landwind PHEV and Landwind, has seen its fuel version sales decline for two consecutive years.
&#34;When we were developing the Voyah Dreamer, we believed that the Chinese new energy vehicle market lacked an MPV. We wanted to occupy a place with a high-end new energy MPV made in China, rather than saying that users could only use joint venture fuel MPVs,&#34; Lu Fang recalled to Wall Street Insights.
Now, this goal has been partially achieved. Lu Fang provided a more macro judgment: &#34;'The 14th Five-Year Plan' is a year of profound changes in the ratio of new energy vehicles to traditional fuel vehicles, as well as a year of significant changes in the positions of domestic brands and foreign luxury brands.&#34;
In his view, foreign luxury brands have fallen behind domestic leading models in both product quality and functionality. &#34;We can compare our vehicles with foreign brands, and we must seize this opportunity.&#34;
But joint venture brands will not give up easily.
According to data from the Passenger Car Association, the sales of fuel MPVs fell by 13.9% year-on-year during the same period. In response to this trend, the joint venture camp is accelerating its electrification transformation. The Buick GL8 has been launched at the end of last year, priced from 439,900 yuan, directly competing with the high-end version of the Denza D9 and the Voyah Dreamer. The pure electric version of the Buick GL8 also started pre-sales in early March, featuring a 900V architecture. The new pure electric Mercedes-Benz VLE made its global debut on March 10, and the Toyota Sienna extended-range version is also in preparation.
At the same time, Huawei's entry into the ecosystem is reshaping the competitive landscape. The first MPV of HarmonyOS, the Zhijie V9, is positioned as a luxury new energy MPV in the 500,000 yuan range and is set to launch this spring.
The high-end new energy MPV market in 2026 will face unprecedented competitive pressure. &#34;300,000 yuan for high configuration, 350,000 yuan for uncompromising, 400,000 yuan for flagship products with comprehensive innovation,&#34; will be the new market form.
Shaoming Feng, CBO of Voyah, has a clear understanding of this. He told Wall Street Journal that Voyah's strategy is &#34;to be the one who draws the track&#34;—&#34;because the one who draws the track knows when to turn for a faster speed.&#34;
This battle of shifting offense and defense is entering its most intense phase.
<h2>L3 Competition Begins</h2>
As space, comfort, and configuration gradually converge, intelligent driving is becoming a new variable in MPV competition.
Shaoming Feng pointed out the core logic of this round of competition in one sentence: &#34;In the past, MPVs were driven by drivers and used by bosses; now more families have dads driving and the whole family riding. We want to achieve comfort equality and technology equality, so that dads no longer have to sacrifice themselves.&#34;
This means that the product definition of MPVs is extending from the &#34;passenger perspective&#34; to the &#34;driver perspective.&#34; High-level intelligent driving is no longer just an added feature but a necessity to alleviate long-distance driving fatigue. Shaoming Feng shared his personal experience: &#34;This time I drove home for the New Year, a round trip of 1,400 kilometers, about 16 hours, and I really didn't feel tired driving alone.&#34;
Under this logic, various car companies are playing the intelligent driving card. The 2026 XPeng X9 pure electric version comes standard with the Turing chip across the entire range, with a maximum effective computing power of 2250 TOPS, and the maximum speed of AEB has been increased to 130 km/h. The Voyah Dreamer Champion Edition is the only MPV in the 300,000 yuan range equipped with Huawei's QianKun intelligent driving ADS4. The Zhijie V9 is equipped with four laser radars, including a 500-line high-precision main radar.
But the bigger variable is L3.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has approved the commercial operation of L3-level autonomous driving for the first time, with the two models that passed the admission application being Changan Deep Blue SL03 and ZEEKR Alpha S6, marking the first time in China that vehicles are allowed to undertake driving tasks under specific conditions. 2026 will truly become the &#34;year of mass production&#34; for L3-level autonomous driving.
XPeng has obtained L3-level autonomous driving road test licenses in Guangzhou and announced that it will launch mass-produced models with both software and hardware reaching L4-level standards in 2026. Li Auto released its new generation autonomous driving architecture MindVLA last year, planning to apply it in mass production this year
According to Wall Street News, Voyah Auto released its first vehicle architecture designed for L3 conditional autonomous driving last April. Currently, L3 test vehicles are running extensively on the roads in Wuhan, having completed over 110,000 kilometers of actual road testing and more than 900,000 kilometers of simulated testing.
Lu Fang described his experience test-driving the L3 test vehicle to Wall Street News: &#34;I was trying this car, but it felt like I wasn't actually driving it. Wherever I want to go, I just need to say it, and it will drive from the parking space to the next location and can come back, that's the level of it.&#34;
He revealed that Voyah will soon launch models equipped with L3-level architecture, including the upcoming Taishan Ultra and a future vehicle codenamed &#34;Everest.&#34; &#34;Its software, hardware, and the five major safety redundancies have already established such an architecture.&#34;
Huawei's ADS 4.0 will also further expand into large-scale commercial use of L3 on highways and urban areas, which means that MPV models equipped with Huawei's intelligent driving will be the first to gain L3 capabilities.
&#34;The real competition in the industry begins at the L3 stage,&#34; emphasized Zhang Yongwei, chairman of the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum. &#34;Whoever can occupy the L3 intelligent advantage will grasp the initiative in the future competition of the automotive industry.&#34;
The MPV intelligent driving war has just begun. Institutions believe that 2026 will be a key year for L3 conditional autonomous driving to achieve a transition from 0 to 1. Dongxing Securities predicts that the penetration rate of L3 and above assisted driving is expected to reach 11%. As L3 moves from concept to mass production, and as high-level intelligent driving is downgraded from top configurations to standard configurations, players lacking intelligent driving layouts will accelerate their exit.
In this arms race of intelligent driving, no one can afford to stop.
Risk Warning and Disclaimer
The market has risks, and investment requires caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not take into account the specific investment goals, financial conditions, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article align with their specific circumstances. Investing based on this is at one's own risk

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BYDDF

In March, the new energy MPV market welcomed the launch of several new models, including XPeng X9 and Voyah Dreamer. Domestic brands are challenging joint venture brands by leveraging new energy and intelligence, leading to changes in the market landscape. Joint venture brands have begun to fight back, with L3 level intelligent driving becoming a key competitive factor. After 2022, the penetration rate of new energy MPVs from domestic brands has significantly increased, gradually establishing their mainstream market position. The once market leader GL8 has seen a decline in sales, while domestic brands such as Voyah and Denza are rising

- The Chinese MPV market is experiencing significant changes, with new electric models from brands like Xiaopeng and Lantu entering the scene.  
- The share of new energy vehicles in the MPV market is projected to rise dramatically, influencing competition dynamics and prompting traditional brands to accelerate their electrification efforts.  
- The introduction of L3 level autonomous driving capabilities marks a critical evolution in MPV offerings, as companies strive to enhance driving comfort and attract family-oriented consumers.

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The MPV battle reignites, with multiple automakers playing the smart driving card