Huawei-backed Aito EV brand takes aim at Tesla Model Y with a semi-autonomous SUV

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The car shows off Huawei-developed technologies that the company aims to supply to more EV makers in the future, executive says

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Richard Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei’s smart vehicle business unit, introduces the Aito M9 SUV in Shenzhen on December 26, 2023. Photo: Weibo

Daniel Renin Shanghai

Published: 8:06pm, 10 Sep 2024

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand Aito has launched a five-seat SUV with limited autonomous-driving capabilities, as its backer Huawei Technologies accelerates its push into mainland China’s automotive sector.

The M9, starting at 469,800 yuan (US$65,981), displays more than 10 years of Huawei’s technology development and paves the way for the company to form partnerships with more EV makers in the future, Richard Yu Chengdong, chairman of the company’s consumer business group, said at a launch event in Shenzhen on Tuesday.

“Our goal is to enable more people to access the best and most affordable smart car technologies,” he said. “The M9 model marks a new start for us because we made meticulous efforts to design each part of the car.”

The SUV, which aims to lure customers away from Tesla’s popular Model Y, can navigate the streets of mainland cities with the latest version of Huawei’s Advanced Driving System software.

The car comes in two variations: a pure-electric edition that can go as far as 630km on a single charge, and an extended-range version with a range of 1,362km.

Extended-range EVs are plug-in hybrid models that use a small internal-combustion engine to generate additional power to charge the battery when needed.