Maextro, the new automotive brand jointly developed by Chinese tech giant Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC), has seen initial success with its first model.
The Maextro S800 luxury sedan secured over 2,600 firm orders within 72 hours of its launch, according to an announcement by Huawei's HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) business on its mobile app yesterday.
In China, firm orders typically refer to orders with non-refundable deposits, though some automakers offer a few days' grace period allowing consumers to cancel.
Maextro, the highest-tier automotive brand under Huawei's HIMA umbrella, launched its first model, the Maextro S800, at an event on the night of May 30.
The large luxury sedan offers battery electric vehicle (BEV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) options, with a starting price of RMB 708,000 ($98,360), significantly lower than the previously marketed range of RMB 1 million to RMB 1.5 million.
Within one hour of its launch, the Maextro S800 received over 1,000 firm orders, according to Richard Yu, Huawei's executive director and chairman of the consumer business Group, following the launch event.
Of the initial 1,000 confirmed orders, 70 percent of customers opted for the top-of-the-line version with a starting price exceeding RMB 1 million, according to Yu.
On June 1, HIMA announced that the Maextro S800 had received over 1,600 firm orders within 24 hours of its launch.
Maextro is one of the new brands co-developed by Huawei and a domestic automaker, and it is the highest-tier brand under Huawei's HIMA umbrella.
Other brands under the HIMA business include BAIC Group's Stelato, Seres Group's Aito, Chery's Luxeed, and SAIC Motor's Shangjie.
HIMA models delivered a record 44,454 units in May, the unit announced on June 1. It had not previously disclosed delivery figures for March and April.
The Aito M9 delivered 15,481 units in May, with a cumulative total of 48,716 units delivered from January to May; the Aito M8 delivered 12,116 units in May, the Aito M7 delivered 4,139 units, and the Aito M5 delivered 4,889 units.
The Luxeed R7 delivered 5,124 units in May, with cumulative deliveries exceeding 38,904 units from January to May.
The Stelato S9 delivered over 2,000 units in May, according to HIMA.
($1 = RMB 7.1979)
