Huawei officially announced on Tuesday that it has started selling cars in its flagship stores, further increasing its presence in the automotive sector on top of providing self-driving systems as well as parts for car companies.
At Huawei's global flagship store on Nanjing Road in Shanghai, Richard Yu, managing director and CEO of Huawei's consumer business, made the announcement and explained the reasons for Huawei's move.
After being repeatedly sanctioned by the United States, Huawei's cell phone business has suffered, and selling cars can compensate for the decline in profits caused by the impact on sales of the cell phone business, Yu said.
Huawei has more than 5,000 high-end experience stores, far more than BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and the new car makers, Yu said.
"It's a huge advantage for us, covering every important city in China," he said.
The first model to go on sale in Huawei's channel is the Seres SF5, which is entering Huawei's stores and be sold under the Huawei Zhixuan brand.
The Seres SF5 is a hybrid vehicle with extended-range technology and is available in two versions, with the 4WD version priced at RMB 246,800 ($38,000) and the 2WD version priced at RMB 216,800.
Deliveries of the model will begin in May, Yu said.
Unlike co-branded cars with other car companies, Huawei and Seres have cooperated deeply, and the SF5 model has Huawei's technology in power and technology intelligence specifications.
Seres SF5 is equipped with HUAWEI HiCar, which can copy Huawei's mobile application ecology to the car, and also supports switching applications including navigation and music between the phone and the car's large center screen.
