Chongqing - Huawei has expanded its auto lineup from five to seven brands, recently unveiling “Yijing” with Dongfeng Motor and announcing “Qijing” with GAC. But as partnerships grow, questions are rising over whether Huawei’s rapid push could dilute the appeal of its automotive brand ecosystem.
Against this backdrop, Chongqing automakers Seres and Changan have strengthened their market positions by investing early in Huawei’s automotive strategy, enabling them to leverage its brand influence while retaining their own competitive edge.
In China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market, Huawei has become an unusually powerful brand force for a tech company. Its Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) delivered 81,864 vehicles in November, surpassing established NEV startups such as Nio, Xpeng, and Li Auto.
HIMA has been the primary collaboration model between Huawei and automakers in recent years. Under this model, Huawei maintains significant decision-making power and participates deeply across every stage of a vehicle’s life cycle—from product definition and design to sales and user operations.
However, many state-owned automakers want to benefit from Huawei’s smart technologies without relinquishing full control of their brands. The emerging “Jing” series—including Yijing—represents a compromise solution to this tension.
While HIMA is clearly Huawei-led and its products are promoted through Huawei’s flagship stores, the “Jing” series operates under a more balanced, joint-leadership model. For instance, in the Yijing partnership, Dongfeng manages investment, platform development, and staffing, while Huawei provides the core technology stack, standards, and process guidance.
The most visible difference between the two models lies in distribution. Yijing will not depend solely on Huawei’s sales network. Instead, it will use a hybrid model combining Dongfeng’s self-built user centers with Huawei’s ecosystem touchpoints.
Consumers may view vehicles in Huawei stores, but delivery, after-sales service, and daily operations will be handled through Dongfeng’s own system. This arrangement preserves Dongfeng’s channel control and leaves room for future private-sector operational reforms.
Industry sources say Dongfeng has invested billions of yuan into the Yijing project, aiming to match HIMA and other leading brands in smart-vehicle experience. Hardware specifications may even be more aggressive, and models priced in the 200,000–300,000 yuan (about 28,296–42,444 U.S. dollars) range are expected to make a strong impact in the mainstream market.
For Huawei, the growing number of “Jing” brands risks stretching resources across its automotive partners and increasing consumer decision fatigue. As more Huawei-backed models enter the market, brands that fail to build clear identities around service quality, luxury experience, or other differentiating strengths may struggle to sustain premium pricing.
Although models from Changan’s Avatr and Deepal, as well as Seres’ Aito, now face competition from Yijing, Seres and Changan possess advantages that other Huawei partners lack. Both companies made strategic early investments in Yinwang, the subsidiary responsible for Huawei’s automotive operations since its spin-off.
Yinwang acts as the technological core for Huawei’s smart driving systems, smart cockpits, and related innovations. Changan, through the Avatr brand, invested 11.5 billion yuan to acquire a 10 percent stake in Yinwang, and Seres also secured 10 percent ownership.
This equity setup gives Changan and Seres a rare dual advantage: they pay Huawei’s tech licensing and component fees as automakers, yet earn dividends from those same revenues as shareholders of Yinwang. They compete in the market while quietly profiting from the backend of Huawei’s supply chain, creating a durable moat.
Still, rapid technological shifts and evolving market dynamics mean both companies must plan ahead.
Seres should strengthen its brand narrative to distinguish itself from Huawei. Building on Aito’s success in the premium segment, Seres can reinforce its luxury positioning. At the same time, as Huawei’s export system will require time to mature, Seres should take advantage of its first-mover status by expanding into markets such as the Middle East, Europe, and South America to relieve domestic competitive pressure.
Changan, meanwhile, must sharpen brand differentiation across its portfolio. While competitors emphasize “family-focused practicality,” Avatr should emphasize “futuristic design” and “self-indulgence,” appealing to young professionals seeking alternatives to traditional family cars. For Deepal, maintaining strong performance in the sub-200,000 yuan segment will be essential for ensuring sustained NEV sales momentum.