Huawei’s Qiankun， in collaboration with FAW Audi， is enabling traditional gasoline vehicles to achieve “intelligent parity” with electric vehicles.
In the automotive industry， a persistent question for consumers has been whether traditional gasoline cars can catch up to their new energy counterparts in terms of intelligence， specifically through advanced smart cabins and intelligent driving systems.
This question now has a definitive answer.
On August 7th， FAW Audi unveiled the FAW Audi Q6L e-tron family and the FAW Audi A5L. Beyond the launch of these luxurious new models， the most significant announcement was the collaboration with Huawei Qiankun. This partnership equips both FAW Audi’s new energy electric vehicles and gasoline models with Huawei Qiankun’s high-level intelligent driving capabilities， truly realizing “intelligent parity” across different powertrain types.
What specific methods did Huawei Qiankun and FAW Audi employ to grant traditional gasoline cars intelligent driving abilities comparable to new energy vehicles?
The Stealthy Evolution of the Engine
In the era of new energy vehicles， traditional mid-to-high-end automotive brands have faced considerable pressure from domestic new entrants. The label of “generic new energy vehicle” from a couple of years ago still stings for brands like Audi and BMW. Gasoline-powered vehicles from luxury brands have been particularly disadvantaged， falling behind in the critical transformation towards intelligence due to the absence of advanced smart cockpits and intelligent driving features.
The awkward position of established automakers can be likened to someone being asked why they haven’t enrolled in a prestigious university – the implication being they lack the capability， not the desire.
Compared to new energy vehicles， traditional gasoline cars face inherent limitations in achieving advanced intelligence. Restrictions stemming from their electronic and electrical architectures， engines， and other core components make it challenging to match the pace of their electrified counterparts.
Western automakers have certainly considered this transition， but their adaptation has been notably slower. However， they are now accelerating their efforts， and tangible results are emerging.
Taking the FAW Audi A5L as an example， to effectively integrate Huawei Qiankun’s intelligent driving technology， the development team undertook a significant upgrade of the underlying hardware platform.
FAW Audi + Huawei Qiankun Deep Collaboration | Image Source: FAW Audi
The FAW Audi A5L features the PPC platform， while the Q6L e-tron is built on the PPE electric platform. Combined with the E? 1.2 electronic and electrical architecture， these provide a robust hardware foundation for “intelligent parity.” This addresses critical challenges in gasoline vehicles， such as precise engine control and the unified management of ECU domains， which were previously difficult to overcome.
For instance， the PPC platform， under the E? 1.2 electronic and electrical architecture， enables the vehicle to process data from various sensors – including engine speed， temperature， throttle position， air intake volume， and oil pressure – with greater speed and precision. It can instantly calculate and execute optimal commands for fuel injection， ignition， and valve timing， achieving millisecond-level fine-tuning of the engine.
Furthermore， the E? 1.2 architecture consolidates previously dispersed control units (ECUs) into a highly integrated system. This reduces information transmission delays and losses， allowing the central processing unit to control various vehicle systems， including the engine， in a more comprehensive and coordinated manner.
YuZhi Jin， CEO of Huawei Intelligent Automotive Solution BU， previously stated on social media that “The biggest difference between gasoline and electric cars is the powertrain. Intelligent assisted driving requires highly precise control of the engine. Audi possesses unique technologies in this area， unifying the PPC gasoline platform and PPE electric platform within their electronic and electrical architecture， which results in remarkably precise control of the gasoline engine.”
The Brain and the Cerebellum
A solid hardware foundation alone is insufficient to achieve “intelligent parity” in gasoline vehicles. Just as a well-formed skeleton requires a brain and cerebellum to enable advanced intelligent driving， the vehicle needs sophisticated control systems.
Huawei Qiankun serves as the integral component enabling FAW Audi to realize “intelligent parity.” YuZhi Jin revealed that Huawei has been collaborating with Audi since 2019， and the newly launched FAW A5L and Q6L e-tron family are among the fruits of their joint efforts in intelligence.
Huawei Qiankun’s leading capabilities in China’s intelligent driving sector are undeniable. However， to truly “empower” these newly released luxury models with advanced intelligent driving functionality， new solutions were required.
A key element in this was the VMM (Vehicle Motion Manager) system. If Huawei Qiankun acts as the “brain” for high-end intelligent driving， responsible for the cognitive aspects， then VMM functions as the “cerebellum，” responsible for motion and control.
Through deep integration with the VMM system， Huawei Qiankun’s commands are sent to the VMM dynamic driving control system. VMM then orchestrates the vehicle’s acceleration， braking， and steering systems to execute the necessary actions for intelligent driving.
The fusion of Huawei Qiankun’s “intelligent luxury” with FAW Audi’s “sporty luxury” has led to a synergistic effect where intelligence achieves a 1+1 > 2 outcome.
FAW Audi Utilizes Huawei Qiankun’s Hardware and Software Capabilities | Image Source: FAW Audi
Beyond software， Huawei Qiankun has also provided hardware innovations， including customized hidden curved dual lidar for FAW Audi. This ensures precise sensing while maintaining Audi’s signature streamlined exterior design. Additionally， Huawei has developed a lidar constant temperature self-cleaning system， allowing the lidar to operate effectively despite road dust and dirt， seamlessly blending aesthetics with practicality.
Gasoline Cars Can Also Be Equipped with High-End Intelligent Driving Solutions | Image Source: FAW Audi
With the support of Huawei’s intelligent driving capabilities， the FAW Audi A5L and Q6L e-tron are now fully equipped with advanced intelligent driving features commonly found in mid-to-high-end new energy vehicles， such as “highway and urban navigation assistance” and “parking assistance.” Drivers no longer need to worry about complex maneuvers like highway ramp exits， city intersection turns， traffic light stops， or challenging parking situations. Huawei Qiankun’s “valet parking assist function” is also available on both new models.
Through technological synergy and hardware innovation， Huawei Qiankun， in collaboration with FAW Audi， has successfully broken the technical barrier that previously prevented “gasoline cars from supporting advanced assisted driving.” This makes Huawei Qiankun the first and only assisted driving vendor to breach this technological limitation for gasoline vehicles， truly achieving “intelligent parity.”
Powertrain is Secondary; Intelligence is the Universal Consensus
In just over a decade， China’s automotive industry has undergone a rapid transformation from new energy adoption to intelligent vehicle development， leaving many international competitors stunned.
Chinese consumers， accustomed to the intense competition and rapid advancements in domestic new energy vehicles， have developed high expectations， leading to a potential “bias” against traditional gasoline cars.
The current collaboration between Huawei Qiankun and FAW Audi demonstrates that traditional gasoline vehicles， through continuous technological evolution and strong partnerships， can indeed shed their “intelligent deficiency.”
While it may still be premature to declare the demise of gasoline cars， it is undeniably clear that the industry is moving towards intelligence as a primary focus for all vehicles. FAW Audi’s decision to engage in deep collaboration with Huawei Qiankun not only validates Huawei Qiankun’s leading technology and multi-platform adaptability but also establishes Huawei Qiankun’s pivotal role in achieving “intelligent parity” across powertrains.
It is foreseeable that in the intelligent era， both traditional luxury brands like BBA and new energy vehicle manufacturers will require a strong， intelligent strategic partner to navigate the future and jointly pursue advancements in automotive intelligence.
