Recently, the Dongfeng Aeolus 2026 Business Conference, themed "We · Setting Off Anew Toward the New," was grandly held in Wuhan. At the end of the year, hosting an annual grand event is not only a demonstration of strength, but also a key stage for Dongfeng Aeolus to showcase its determination for brand upgrading, review its achievements, and discuss the future with the industry.
At this conference, Dongfeng Aeolus once again clarified its positioning as a "mainstream smart family enjoyment automobile brand," reaffirmed its philosophy of "building good cars for global families," and delivered a substantial 2025 report card. More notably, the brand's systematic layout in channel empowerment, user co-creation, and technology reserves is quietly building a win-win ecosystem among the brand, partners, and users.
Precisely Positioning in the Family Market, Central SOE Transformation Blazes a New Path
Under Dongfeng Group's grand strategy of leading transformation with its own brands, Dongfeng Aeolus, leveraging its forward-looking market insight, has deeply cultivated the mainstream position of family users and continuously deepened its "Smart Family Enjoyment" brand label. Backed by the Group's 56 years of automotive heritage and over 50 billion yuan in R&D investment, Dongfeng Aeolus responds to whole-scenario family travel needs with its products, successfully securing its position in the fiercely competitive family car market and providing a vivid model for the brand renewal of a central SOE automaker.
Hit Models Lead the Way, Achieving Dual Growth in Sales and Channel Health
The new flagship SUV Aeolus L8, launched for family users, quickly became a market hit with core advantages such as class-leading space, a smart cabin, efficient hybrid powertrain, and solid safety, establishing a distinct label as "the most comfortable and luxurious cabin under 150,000 yuan." With the L8 at its core and supported by multiple differentiated models, Dongfeng Aeolus achieved high-quality growth against the trend in 2025: cumulative annual sales exceeded 138,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 37%; 180 new terminal stores were added, expanding the national network to 367 stores. Particularly commendable is that dealer profitability increased significantly by 50%, forming a virtuous cycle in which products drive channels and channels feed back into the brand.
Making Friends with Users, Turning Needs into Products
Dongfeng Aeolus firmly believes that users' voices are the best compass for product evolution. Through establishing a direct L8 user connection channel, the brand ensures that every suggestion reaches decision-makers directly, driving continuous iteration of product details. Offline, co-creation activities such as "Aeolus Drawing Room" have become routine — brand executives, engineers, and car owners sit together for candid exchanges around real scenarios such as parent-child activities, camping, and commuting. A series of family-themed emotional experience activities continuously reinforce the community belonging of "Aeolus Family Members," truly realizing the transformation from "serving users" to "walking with users."
Based on insights into the diversification of family structures and the refinement of vehicle usage needs, Dongfeng Aeolus plans to launch 8 new models over the next three years, building a full-scenario product matrix covering urban and outdoor use. The Aeolus L8 creates class-leading comfort with its "luxury five-piece set" and plans to be equipped with LiDAR and urban NOA functions, achieving a dual breakthrough in comfort and technology; the L9 targets the seven-seat new energy family market, delivering "comfort for the whole family" with true large space and long range; the L7 focuses on young and refined families, meeting trendy travel needs with personalized design and complementing the L8 in style.
OEM "Takes the Lead," Three Moves Empower Dealer Profitability
Behind the outstanding results is Dongfeng Aeolus's channel philosophy of fighting shoulder to shoulder with dealers. The brand regards dealers as a community of shared destiny and systematically upgrades its empowerment system: in terms of methods, it deepens practical tactics such as "three-stage marketing," "investors personally stepping in," and "building super IPs," providing replicable operational templates; in terms of joint efforts, the core agenda of the conference always revolves around how to help dealers achieve profitability; in terms of policies, it provides industry-leading business support, reduces store construction costs, simplifies assessments, and pairs these with financial support to effectively enhance dealer profitability.
Some dealers are already at the forefront of practice. "Xiamen Xiangge" builds a localized IP, using Minnan dialect to close the distance with customers and turning car sales into friendship; the investor of the Linyi Xingyi store personally goes to the front line, serving as livestreamer, expert, and test driver all in one; the Kunming Aya store strictly implements "three-stage marketing," exercising refined management and control across the entire process from lead screening to deal follow-up, achieving a significant increase in transactions.
Technology Builds the Moat, Hybrid Efficiency Sets a New Industry Record
Technology is the foundation of the brand's long-termism. Relying on the Group's deep heritage, Dongfeng Aeolus continues to make breakthroughs in core powertrain fields. The latest generation 1.5T hybrid dedicated engine of the Mach hybrid system received the "Energy Efficiency Star" certification from CATARC with a maximum effective thermal efficiency of 45.18%, becoming the industry's first hybrid gasoline engine to break through 48% thermal efficiency, setting a new benchmark in strong power, low fuel consumption, and smoothness. At the same time, L2+ intelligent driving assistance covers 28 high-frequency scenarios, and integrated die-casting technology improves body rigidity and safety, building a solid technical defense line for family travel.
This business conference clearly demonstrated Dongfeng Aeolus's differentiated path in the family segment — precise product definition, deep user connection, pragmatic channel co-building, and solid technology reserves. In a win-win ecosystem woven together by the brand, partners, and users, Dongfeng Aeolus is forging a growth path that is both warmer and more competitive.
