by CHEN Xiaotong

JD.com has released the price of its first co-developed electric vehicle, the Aion UT Super, made in partnership with GAC Group and Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL). The car costs 49,900 yuan (US$6,900) with a leased battery, or 89,900 yuan (US$12,400) for full ownership.

The compact sedan uses CATL's "Chocolate Battery" and supports battery swapping, which takes just 99 seconds, according to official figures. The car has an estimated range of 500 kilometers and can be recharged once a week for typical urban use.

CATL said it aims to install 1,000 battery-swap stations in 45 cities by the end of 2025, expanding to 2,500 in 120 cities by 2026, and eventually 30,000 nationwide. The company's 800th station opened on November 8 in Xi'an.

Built on an A-class platform with a 2,750-millimeter wheelbase, the Aion UT Super also comes with Huawei's cloud-based infotainment system—the first production car to use it. The system supports cloud computing and online updates.

Aion, GAC's electric-vehicle brand, has seen sales weaken this year. It sold 27,014 vehicles in October, down 32.6% from a year earlier. Sales for the first 10 months totaled 262,000 units, a 19% decline year on year.

JD.com first announced plans for a "national good car" in October during its Double 11 shopping festival campaign, later showcasing the production model at GAC Aion's Changsha factory on November 5. The move highlights JD.com's efforts to broaden its automotive business beyond online retail.

Separately, JD.com signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Changan Automobile on October 15 covering retail, logistics, and intelligent vehicle development. The company has also advertised several automotive engineering roles, with top salaries reportedly reaching 1.23 million yuan (US$170,000) a year.