Huawei Begins Taking Preorders for First EV Made With GAC

1. Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has started taking preorders for its first electric vehicle (EV) under the Qijing brand. This new car is being developed in partnership with Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. (GAC) through Huawei’s intelligent automotive solution business unit. The entry of the Qijing brand brings it into direct competition with another auto alliance led by Huawei’s consumer business group, highlighting internal competition between two major Huawei automotive units targeting similar vehicle segments in China’s competitive auto market. [para. 1][para. 2]

2. The flagship Qijing GT7 is a shooting brake, targeting a niche segment—an approach also being taken by the Shangjie brand, which is part of Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) under the consumer business group. Shangjie unveiled its Z7T shooting brake in early March, with preorders opening soon, indicating escalating competition between these Huawei-backed brands within the same niche. [para. 3]

3. Qijing has announced plans to diversify its lineup, revealing that its next car will be a mid- to large-sized SUV debuting later in the year. Qijing is focusing on the high-end 300,000 yuan ($43,600) price segment, where it will compete directly with other premium Huawei-backed brands such as Aito, a sub-brand under HIMA. [para. 4]

4. Following U.S. sanctions that severely affected its smartphone business in 2020, Huawei decided to pivot into the auto sector to sustain its revenue. The company formed a smart vehicle partnership with Seres Group in April 2021, launching its Smart Selection business model, which was upgraded to the broader HIMA alliance in November 2023. [para. 5]

5. Simultaneously, Huawei’s intelligent automotive solution business unit, originally established in 2019 as a component supplier, moved towards greater independence. By August 2024, it secured investment from Seres and a Changan Automobile subsidiary, and in January 2025 spun off its automotive assets into Shenzhen Yinwang Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd., which develops vehicle components and autonomous driving systems for multiple carmakers. [para. 6]

6. Under the HIMA alliance, Huawei provides smart driving technologies and access to its sales network in return for significant control over vehicle design, development, marketing, and sales. Five car brands currently fall under HIMA: Seres's Aito, Chery’s Luxeed, SAIC’s Shangjie, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile’s Maextro, and BAIC BluePark’s Stelato. [para. 7]

7. Meanwhile, Huawei’s intelligent automotive solution business unit has cultivated the Qiankun ecosystem, working with GAC and Dongfeng Motor on Qijing and Yijing car brands, differentiating its approach from the HIMA alliance. [para. 8]

8. Jin Yuzhi, CEO of the intelligent automotive solution business unit, highlighted that Qijing aims to pioneer “mobility AI agents” for the AI era, especially in the GT7 model, which showcases several of Huawei’s most advanced technologies for the first time in a vehicle. [para. 9]

9. The GT7 will come equipped with the Huawei Qiankun ADS smart driving system, and the high-spec version boasts a full-link redundancy architecture for autonomous driving, a unique feature in its segment. It will include hardware ready for Level 3 autonomous driving, which will be enabled via software updates pending regulatory and product testing completion in China. [para. 10][para. 11]

10. The Qijing GT7 faces the challenge of cracking China’s fiercely competitive premium new-energy vehicle (NEV) market, where the best-selling shooting brake models achieve only a few thousand sales monthly in 2025. However, Qijing managers believe the segment’s combination of sedan styling, SUV space, and coupe performance will yield untapped demand. [para. 12][para. 13]

11. Although official GT7 pricing hasn’t been disclosed, earlier guidance from GAC placed the model firmly in the 300,000 yuan luxury NEV segment, positioning it alongside major competitors like Nio and Li Auto. [para. 14]

12. Domestic passenger vehicle sales in China grew 6.4% in 2025, but sales in the 300,000-350,000 yuan segment declined for both traditional and NEV vehicles by 19.2% and 12.9%, respectively, with a similar trend for the 350,000-400,000 yuan category. However, in early 2026, thanks to a new subsidy policy, premium NEV sales rebounded, with sales in the 300,000-350,000 yuan and 350,000-400,000 yuan segments increasing by 0.7% and 33% year-on-year, respectively, in the first two months. [para. 15][para. 16]