Huawei enters ultra-luxury EV market with Maextro S800, taking on Rolls-Royce

SHENZHEN: Huawei has stepped into ultra-luxury electric vehicle (EV) market by unveiling Maextro S800 in Shenzhen.

The new electric limousine developed in partnership with JAC Motor targets high-end brands like Rolls Royce and Mercedes-Maybach. This sounds like an unexpected move for the company known for making smartphones and gadgets.

The Maextro S800 is priced between 1 to 1.5 million yuan ($138,000 to $207,000) and currently available for pre-booking with a deposit of 20,000 yuan.

Measuring over 5.4 metres in length, the S800 is bigger than nearly all cars on Chinese roads.

Huawei’s Maextro is built on second-generation Tuling Intelligent Chassis and offers Level 3 autonomous driving. Despite the fact that details regarding its exact launch date remain undisclosed, the model has already generated massive interest, receiving 2,100 pre-orders within two days of its debut.

This luxury model is the fourth brand under Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), alongside Aito, Luxeed, and Stelato.

The alliance which focuses on electric vehicle production through collaborations with local automakers has delivered over 500,000 vehicles in less than three years, making an industry record for Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) startups.

Huawei’s flagship Aito M7 developed with Seres has sold 300,000 units while the Aito M9 has reached 180,000 sales in just 11 months. At the event, Huawei also launched the new Luxeed S7 sedan and Stelato S9 Ultra, expanding its EV portfolio.

The Luxeed S7, priced at 229,800 yuan, offers enhanced comfort and performance while undercutting its predecessor by 20,000 yuan.

The company’s automotive division, which had previously struggled with losses, saw a turnaround this year, reporting 10.45 billion yuan in revenue and 2.23 billion yuan in net profit in the first half, largely driven by sales of high-end models.

Yu Chengdong revealed that Huawei aims to dominate China’s high-end EV market within five years.

Additionally, Huawei has partnered with GAC to launch a new smart EV brand, further strengthening its automotive ambitions.

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