- Maextro will launch SUV and MPV models next year, each available in both standard and long wheelbase versions, according to a local media report.
- The Maextro SUV will target the premium market segment but will be positioned below the S800 sedan.
Maextro, the new automotive brand jointly developed by Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp (JAC), will launch multiple new models next year to intensify its exploration of China’s luxury car market, according to a report yesterday by local media outlet 36Kr.
Maextro will roll out SUV (sport utility vehicle) and MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) models next year, each available in both standard and long wheelbase versions, the report said.
Additionally, Maextro will introduce a higher-spec option of its sole existing model, the S800 sedan. Combined with the current S800 sedan, Maextro will offer a total of six models next year, the report noted.
The standard-wheelbase Maextro MPV targets family use, while the long-wheelbase variant focuses on commercial applications. Huawei and JAC’s initial plans position both MPV versions at price points significantly higher than typical family and commercial MPVs currently available in China, 36Kr said.
Huawei and JAC’s initial plan for the Maextro SUV is to target the premium market, though its positioning will be below the S800 sedan, the report cited a source as saying.
Following luxury market conventions, the long-wheelbase SUV will primarily serve to establish brand image, while the short-wheelbase SUV will target higher sales volumes, the report noted.
Maextro stands as the highest-tier brand under Huawei’s HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) umbrella, alongside BAIC Group’s Stelato, Seres Group’s Aito, Chery‘s Luxeed, and SAIC Motor’s Shangjie.
The brand officially launched its first model, the Maextro S800, on May 30, offering two battery electric vehicle (BEV) variants and four extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) variants.
Currently priced from RMB 708,000 ($99,930) to RMB 1,018,000, it ranks among the most expensive models produced by a domestic Chinese brand.
Leveraging Huawei’s substantial influence, the Maextro S800 has achieved solid initial market acceptance.
By late October this year, about 5,000 Maextro S800 units had been delivered, while its competitor, the Maybach S-class, recorded around 9,000 deliveries in the first ten months of the year, as noted by 36Kr.
On the opening day of the Guangzhou auto show on November 20, Richard Yu, Huawei’s executive director and chairman of the consumer business group, said that firm orders for the Maextro S800 had surpassed 18,000 units just over 100 days after its launch.
Maextro’s second and third products are being developed at a faster pace, JAC said.
($1 = RMB 7.0847)
