SAIC Motor has teamed with Huawei Technologies to develop smart electric vehicles (EVs) under a new brand as China’s largest state-controlled carmaker plots to reverse six years of sliding sales in the world’s biggest auto market.
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A first production model under the new brand – known as Shangjie or “fashionable and stylish” – will be unveiled this autumn, according to a joint statement from the companies on Wednesday. It will feature Huawei’s autonomous driving and in-car entertainment systems, they added.
“The partnership with Huawei is more than a crossover,” SAIC president Jia Jianxu said at a launch event in Shanghai. “The brand will bring a revolutionary change to the existing smart-driving ecosystem.”
According to Chinese media, SAIC and Huawei will first unveil an SUV model starting from 170,000 yuan (US$23,270). They did not reveal a launch date.
SAIC, which has joint ventures with General Motors (GM) and Volkswagen (VW) in mainland China, has deployed 5,000 employees to develop Shangjie vehicles.
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Huawei will empower the Shangjie vehicles with its latest EV technologies and strict quality control, according to Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of its consumer business group.