BUSINESS

Chart of the Day: Huawei’s Auto Partners Show Uneven Sales

Published: Apr. 7, 2026 5:15 p.m. GMT+8

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Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s automotive business grew rapidly in 2025, though the sharply diverging sales results of its partner automakers show that a tie-up with the tech giant is not a guaranteed recipe for success in China’s fiercely competitive electric vehicle (EV) market.

Huawei’s auto business comprises two main models. The Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) includes five automaker partner brands, while the Intelligent Automotive Solution (IAS) unit began independent operations in 2025, selling components as well as full intelligent-driving and cockpit systems to automakers.

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Huawei's IAS unit revenue hit 45B yuan in 2025 (+72.1%); HIMA partners delivered 589,100 vehicles (+32%).
Seres's Aito sold 426,000 units (+10.1%); Changan's Avatr 120,000 (+62%).
Strugglers: Chery's Luxeed 90,000; SAIC's Shangjie 29,000; BAIC's Stelato 36,000.

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Who’s Who

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.: Huawei's automotive business grew rapidly in 2025. IAS unit revenue hit 45B yuan ($6.5B), up 72.1% YoY, fastest-growing in total 880.9B yuan revenue. HIMA partners delivered 589,100 vehicles, up 32% YoY. Seres' Aito thrived (426K units), but Chery Luxeed (90K), SAIC Shangjie (29K), and BAIC Stelato (36K) lagged. (68 words)

Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. Ltd.: Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. Ltd.’s Avatr brand, a deep-collaboration partner of Huawei’s IAS unit, sold 120,000 cars in 2025, a 62% year-on-year increase. (28 words)

Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd.: Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. is one of Huawei's IAS unit’s three deep-collaboration partners. Products under Huawei’s cooperation had yet to officially hit the market in 2025.

Dongfeng Motor Corp. Ltd.: Dongfeng Motor Corp. Ltd. is one of Huawei’s IAS unit’s three deep-collaboration partners. Products under Huawei’s cooperation with Dongfeng had yet to officially hit the market in 2025.

Seres Group Co. Ltd.: Seres Group Co. Ltd., Shanghai-listed benchmark for Huawei's HIMA partnerships, reported 2025 revenue up 13.7% to 165.1 billion yuan. Net profit slipped 7.8% to 5.1 billion yuan. Aito brand sales rose 10.1% to 426,000 units, but warned rapid sales/R&D growth may pressure 2026 profits.

Chery Automobile Co. Ltd.: Chery Automobile Co. Ltd. reported a 36.1% net profit increase to 19.5 billion yuan in 2025, with record sales of 2.63 million units. Its Huawei-backed Luxeed brand underperformed, selling 90,000 cars. Luxeed sales dropped 75.7% YoY to 8,000 units in Q1 2026, leading to management changes and new model launches. (62 words)

SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd.: SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. reported a net profit of 7.4 billion yuan in 2025. Its Huawei-partnered Shangjie brand sold only 29,000 vehicles after launching its first model in September, with a second model expected in April 2026.

BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co. Ltd.: BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co. Ltd., an early Huawei partner, launched the Stelato brand in 2023. It anticipates a 2025 net loss of 4.7-5 billion yuan, citing a strategic investment phase with insufficient scale. Stelato contributed just 36,000 of its total 209,000 vehicle sales.

Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp. Ltd.: Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp. Ltd. estimated a 2025 net loss of 2.5 billion yuan, due to declining exports and a 1.1 billion yuan Volkswagen JV loss. Late-year deliveries of Huawei-co-developed ultra-luxury Maextro S800 (priced >700,000 yuan) turned Q3 operating cash flow positive.

AI generated, for reference only