- All models from Shangjie, the new brand created by Huawei and SAIC, will be sold in HIMA's channels, according to the local media.
- The new brand's first model will be the cheapest under the HIMA umbrella.
The first model to be built by Chinese tech giant Huawei in partnership with SAIC Motor will be based on a model from the latter's sub-brand Roewe, and will have a starting price of around RMB 150,000 ($20,700), according to a local media report.
The two companies are working together on a new brand, called Shangjie (尚界) in Chinese, which is the fifth brand under Huawei's HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) business, Yicai said in a report today that cited multiple independent sources.
All of the new brand's models will be sold in HIMA's channels, with the first model based on Roewe's new car project internally codenamed "ES39," according to the report.
The model will be equipped with Huawei's cockpit and smart driving technologies, and will be available in two battery electric vehicle (BEV) versions, Yicai said, adding that the model expected to hit the market in the fourth quarter of this year,.
The new model will target the market priced between RMB 150,000 and RMB 250,000 and will be the cheapest model under the HIMA umbrella, the report said.
As for the brand's second model, SAIC and Huawei are still in talks and are expected to develop it from scratch, according to the report.
Huawei has three ways of working with car companies, with the approach of launching a new brand being the one it is most involved in. The approach was initially known as Zhixuan and was upgraded in November 2023 to HIMA.
In Huawei's least-involved approach, the tech giant only provides components and the HarmonyOS system. In the middle of the spectrum is the "Huawei Inside" approach, where Huawei provides solutions including cockpits and smart driving to automakers.
Under the HIMA business, Huawei and local automakers had previously jointly created four new brands -- Aito from Seres Group, Luxeed from Chery, Stelato from BAIC Group, and Maextro from Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC).
The business currently has six models on sale -- Aito M5, Aito M7, Aito M9, Luxeed S7, Luxeed R7, Stelato S9.
On February 11, another local media outlet, 36kr, first reported that Huawei would be joining forces with SAIC to create a new brand, Shangjie, saying that the brand would target a younger market, and that the vehicles would likely start at around RMB 170,000 to RMB 250,000 yuan.
Earlier this year, there were rumors that SAIC would partner with Huawei through another sub-brand, Rising Auto, which planned to use Huawei's solution's to relaunch a project internally codenamed ES37, or Rising RC7, Yicai's report today noted.
However, Huawei decided that the ES37 didn't quite fit the partnership's vision, and decided to instead use Roewe's ES39 as a prototype, giving it the new internal codename RH-A, according to the report.
($1 = RMB 7.2477)
GAC plans to set up subsidiary dedicated to tie-up with Huawei
More on Huawei
