Here’s a Chery Fulwin A9L, a large aerodynamic sedan with a PHEV powertrain. I met it in front of a Chery dealer in southern Beijing. It is a great-looking car, featuring a lot of tech and power.
About Chery Fulwin
Fulwin is the name of a new-energy vehicle (NEV) series under the Chery brand. The Chinese name is 风云, Fēngyún, which literally translates to “Wind Cloud”. Over the years, Chery has used the name for series and cars, including the original Chery Fulwin sedan. C-DM refers to Chery-Dual Mode, the company’s latest family of PHEV powertrain systems.
The Chery Fulwin A9L
The Chery Fulwin A9L is the flagship sedan of the Fulwin series. It is a mid-size sedan with a streamlined body; its drag coefficient is only 0.23 Cd. The color is Cherry Red (not: Chery Red). The Fulwin A9L is quite a well-designed car, with a low hood, a long wheelbase, a sloping roofline, and a short rear end.
The text on the sticker says: “Fulwin A9L — a true global C-segment flagship.” In the past, the “L” designation typically referred to long-wheelbase versions of existing models. Today, however, it is applied more broadly to denote any large or premium vehicle, regardless of whether it actually features an extended wheelbase.
Some of the more eye-catching details include the multi-layered rear light units, the thick chrome surround framing the side windows, and the elegant 15-spoke alloy wheels paired with red brake calipers. The rear window is particularly unusual: it is small and set high, making it seem better suited for gazing at the sky than for checking the road behind.
The badge on the C-pillar. The characters in the middle mean “lifetime warranty”. Many Chinese brands offer free lifetime warranties to certain components, albeit with many exclusions and requirements. Chery says its lifetime warranty covers the engine and transmission, as well as the core components of the intelligent driving system (such as intelligent driving chips and sensors).
The interior
This is what the interior of a perfectly ordinary mid-size sedan in China looks like today: real leather seats with quilted stitching, red leather trim, aluminum detailing, and plenty of space. Beneath the center tunnel sits a large storage area—big enough, of course, for two boxes of tissues.
The seat control buttons look very high-end, just like in a Mercedes-Benz. Even the two-spoke steering wheel has red leather trim. The drive selector is mounted on the steering wheel column. It has a 10.25-inch driver’s display and a 15.6-inch touch screen. The wireless charging pad’s output is 50 watts.
Long wheelbase cars have space for long legs, and it shows. The rubber floor mats in this car are typical for dealer demo cars. The Chery Fulwin A9L is furthermore equipped with a 1800W audio system with 23 speakers. High-power audio systems with lots of speakers are a new trend in China.
Specifications of the Chery Fulwin A9L
The Chery Fulwin A9L is based on Chery’s EOX platform, which also underpins the Exeed Sterra ES, among many others. The dimensions are 5018/1965/1500, with a 3000 mm wheelbase and a 2230 kg curb weight.
The PHEV powertrain combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine with either one or two electric motors. The car in the photos is the top-spec Fulwin A9L Radiance AWD. It has two electric motors, one at the front and one at the back. The system output is an impressive 470 kW and 854 Nm. It uses a one-speed DHT gearbox. Chery claims a 180 km/h top speed and a 0-100 in 4.9 seconds.
Characters: 奇瑞汽车, Qíruì Qìchē, Chery Automobile.
The A9L Radiance AWD has a 67-liter fuel tank and a 33.68 kWh LFP battery pack provided by Gotion High-tech, one of China’s largest battery makers. The max charging power is 90 kW and a 10-80% harge takes 15 minutes. The sedan has an electric range of 200 kilometers and a combined range of 1600 kilometers.
Price in China
A car-wide light bar runs over the front, connecting the headlights. Below the bumper is a sporty lip, finished in light gray. The Chery Fulwin A9L Radiance AWD costs 185.900 yuan or $27K. As usual, that’s a lot of car for your money. But it has to be, because the compeition is this segment is mortal. Direct competitors include cars like the BYD Han DM, the Geely Galaxy Xingyao 8, and the Lynk & Co 07 EM-P.