The first Chinese car company to announce price increases this year is born!

This price adjustment does not cover the entire range of Star Road ET5 models, only the high-end version -210 LiDAR Smart Edition. The prices of other models remain unchanged, continuing the original pricing system. According to the sales representative of Xingtu 4S store, this price increase is directly related to the adjustment of intelligent driving rights. The original value of 28800 yuan intelligent driving gift package, which was given away for free during the initial launch of the new car, has now ended its free rights. Subsequent purchases of this high-end model will require an additional payment of 5000 yuan to enjoy related intelligent driving services, including Horizon Journey 6P chip, Falcon 700 advanced intelligent driving system, and lifetime OTA iteration service.

As the core model of Chery's layout in the high-end new energy market, the Xingtu ET5 is positioned as a new luxury intelligent mid size SUV, focusing on the high-end intelligent driving track with a price range of 140000-160000 yuan. This price increase breaks the mainstream rhythm of "price for quantity" in the car market since the beginning of the year. It is reported that the Xingtu ET5 is currently one of the top three core models in brand sales. The price adjustment for the high-end version is not only a repositioning of product value, but also a practical consideration of industry cost pressure.

From the perspective of industry background, there is a strong atmosphere of price reduction in the domestic passenger car market at the beginning of 2026. In January, the average price reduction of passenger car models nationwide reached 14.9%, and luxury brands and joint venture brands have increased their discount efforts. The recent price increase of Xingtu against the trend is driven by the rise in upstream costs - the overall price of automotive grade DRAM has increased by 180% in the past three months, and the price of lithium carbonate, the core raw material for power batteries, has risen significantly compared to the beginning of last year. The cost of intelligent bicycles has generally increased by 1000 to 3000 yuan, which has brought considerable cost pressure to Xingtu ET5, which focuses on intelligent driving configurations.

In addition, the price increase of Xingtu is closely related to the brand's strategic transformation. As a high-end brand under Chery, Xingtu will embark on the brand 3.0 era by the end of 2025, clearly proposing the direction of getting rid of price competition and focusing on value competition. This price adjustment is the concrete implementation of this strategy. The slogan "Only fight value wars, not price wars" in the poster also highlights its determination to deeply cultivate high-end and adhere to product value.

It is worth noting that as of now, mainstream domestic car companies have not followed up with price adjustments, and the trend of exchanging price for volume in the car market will not change in the short term. Industry analysis believes that the recent price increase of Xingtu is not the beginning of a comprehensive price increase trend, but a signal that the industry is shifting from a price war to a value war. In the future, mainstream models priced between 100000 and 300000 yuan may gradually enter a structural differentiation stage of "stabilizing prices and increasing configurations". For consumers, Xingtu also provides a buffer period, and customers who place orders before March 20th can still enjoy the original price purchase rights, reducing the impact of price increases.