The 23rd Changchun Auto Expo arrived as scheduled, with major auto brands bringing their popular models. Among them, FAW Yueyi was quite eye-catching, as the long-anticipated Yueyi 08 officially announced its price, from 99,900 yuan to 139,900 yuan. When this price appeared on the big screen, many media colleagues in the audience took out their phones and started doing the math: a vehicle length of 4,920 mm, a width of 1,920 mm, and a wheelbase of 2,900 mm, selling for this price? This is not a price cut, this is dimensional reduction.

First look at the dimensions: B+ class stature, 89% space utilization rate

Let us get straight to the numbers. A 2,900 mm wheelbase brings an 89% overall vehicle space utilization rate, with rear headroom of 980 mm and knee room of 177 mm. The trunk has a regular volume of 618 L, and when the seats are folded down, it can extend to a depth of 2,090 mm, instantly turning into a flat reclining bed. In the 100,000 to 150,000 yuan price range, the vast majority of products still remain at A-class or A+ class dimensions. The Yueyi 08 has formed an obvious staggered competitive advantage in space, with rear legroom even more generous than many traditional B-class fuel vehicles.

Now look at the equipment list: things from the 200,000 yuan class, given to you at the 100,000 yuan class

Large space is only the first step. The entire lineup comes standard with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P dual NPU chips, which is a class-above configuration at the same price. The higher trim directly adds Huawei Qiankun assisted driving computing platform plus lidar, supporting 24 assisted driving functions including highway NOA and memory parking. An 800V high-voltage platform with 6C ultra-fast charging completes 30% to 80% charging in 7.5 minutes. A 202 kW rear-drive motor delivers 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. Energy consumption is 11.4 kWh per 100 km, less than 6 cents per kilometer. Seat ventilation, heating, and massage are fully equipped throughout the vehicle. Half a year ago, these configurations appearing on 200,000 yuan class models would still have been highlights.

But this is not just about one car

Raise your gaze a bit higher. In May 2026, FAW Group officially announced that Yueyi would be separated from the Pentium lineup and elevated to an independent new energy brand. This is not a simple matter of adding or subtracting a brand. Previously, the Pentium brand ran both fuel and new energy lines in parallel, with brand positioning adjusted multiple times and logos changed multiple times, leaving users lacking a clear understanding of "Pentium's new energy." Making Yueyi independent means fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles have completely "split households," allowing Yueyi to travel light without being bound by the inertia of the fuel vehicle system. Wu Bilei, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and vice general manager of China FAW, said very directly at the launch event: "This is a key measure for FAW to position itself in the mainstream new energy passenger vehicle market." In other words, the national team is serious.

"Users take the C position" is not a slogan, it is action

Having a strong enough product is only the admission ticket. How to make users believe you are "serious" is another test. The approach of the Yueyi 08 is quite interesting.

The launch event invited stand-up comedian Zhang Cailing. It was not about finding a traffic star to appear, but rather a user perspective with a cross-national marriage and the real pain points of a multi-member family. With a down-to-earth routine, she explained the pain points of young families using cars very clearly, and the audience never stopped laughing and applauding. She said this car satisfied all the needs of her family across all dimensions, east and west, male and female, old and young.

At the end of the launch event, Wu Bilei and Liu Zhongchen, chairman of FAW Pentium, jointly handed over new car keys to the first 6 owners. "Delivery upon launch" turned from a promise into reality. These actions, when connected, point to the same signal: FAW Yueyi does not want users to feel that "a central state-owned enterprise making cars is just about getting the car built and that being the end of it."

Back to the product itself

The price range of 99,900 to 139,900 yuan is the "depth charge" thrown by the FAW Yueyi 08. B+ class dimensions, a 200,000 yuan class equipment list, and an A-class car price, plus the strategic determination behind an independent brand and the concrete actions of "users take the C position"—with this combination punch, the competitive landscape of the 100,000 yuan class family sedan market is indeed going to be rewritten.

Yu Guangjiang, principal of FAW Yueyi, said one thing at the launch event: "It is about building good but not expensive new energy vehicles for ordinary people. The configuration must be top-notch, the price must be appealing, and the quality must be praiseworthy." The words are very plain, but there are not many cars that can deliver on them. The Yueyi 08 counts as one.