Watch out Zeekr, Euro brand preps new hero SUV: 2026 Volkswagen ID.Era 9X revealed in China as a Zeekr 9X, BYD Tang 9 and Leapmotor D16 rival

A new automotive battleground is forming, with brands such as BYD, Zeekr, Leapmotor and now even Volkswagen joining the fray.

All are developing, or about to launch, mega petrol-electric SUVs in China that put US supersized family haulers to shame.

Volkswagen has confirmed its new ID.Era 9X extra-large SUV for China, which is developed with its partner SAIC that also owns MG.

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It is pitched as a rival to the Zeekr 9X, Leapmotor D16, BYD Tang 9 and IM LS9, which all deliver luxurious interiors, premium looks and huge batteries than deliver massive EV driving range range

The ID.Era 9X is a monster, measuring 5207mm long, 1997mm wide and 1810mm tall, which would dwarf the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser.

It also has a wheelbase — the distance between the front and rear axles — of more than three metres. This means it will have an absolutely cavernous interior with acres of space in all three rows.

The ID.Era 9X uses an extended range hybrid set-up, which pairs a petrol engine and electric motors with a sizable battery.

Volkswagen ID.Era 9X.

The petrol engine is used purely as a generator for the battery, with the wheels being driven by the electric motors only.

This is unlike a plug-in hybrid, which has the same elements, but it can be driven by electric, petrol or blended power.

The ID.Era 9X is available in three different set-ups.

The first is a single 220kW rear motor paired with a roughly 51kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery that delivers 267km of electric range.

Volkswagen ID.Era 9X.

Next grade up uses a more sophisticated and larger circa-65kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) battery that delivers a 340km EV driving range.

Range-topping examples use the same NMC battery but add dual-motor power, which ups power to 380kW and reduces EV driving range to 321km.

All driving ranges are calculated via the WLTC test regime, which is more lenient than the benchmark Worldwide Harmonised Light-Duty Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) more commonly used in Australia.