A new contender from Huawei is poised to enter the new energy vehicle (NEV) market， and it might be arriving sooner than expected.
Just a few days ago， the brand “Qi Jing” announced that its first vehicle has completed its design finalization. Following a series of validation tests， it is anticipated to make its official debut next year.
Qi Jing Auto is a collaborative venture jointly announced last month by Huawei and GAC Group， and it operates at a significantly high strategic level.
At the end of June， Feng Xingya， Chairman of GAC Group， visited Ren Zhengfei， CEO of Huawei， in Shenzhen. The discussion focused on jointly developing new， youthful products. Three months later， Huawei’s Rotating Chairman Xu Zhijun led a team to GAC， officially announcing the Qi Jing brand and personally participating in the new car’s design review and finalization， demonstrating a remarkably rapid pace.
For those familiar with design reviews， the intensity and stringent requirements involved are well understood.
Fortunately， both parties expressed high satisfaction with the finalized design， significantly raising expectations for Qi Jing.
However， many may share a common question: what distinguishes Qi Jing， a new brand not part of the “Jie” series， from Huawei’s existing HI (Huawei Inside) mode and Smart Selection car models?
Given the considerable success of the latter， what is the purpose behind Qi Jing’s emergence?
While detailed information is still limited， it is my view that Huawei and GAC are positioning Qi Jing to both fill a market gap and serve as the next incubation for “Chinese brand excellence” in automobiles.
It’s important to note that although the HI mode and Smart Selection models represent distinct business lines， they fundamentally operate under a model where one partner takes the lead. In the HI mode， the car manufacturer is the primary driver， with Huawei acting as a system solution provider. In the Smart Selection model， Huawei assumes full control， with the car manufacturer primarily assisting in manufacturing.
The advantage of these approaches is their ability to leverage the strengths of the leading party and precisely target specific consumer segments. For instance， the HI mode appeals more to enthusiasts of traditional automakers， while Smart Selection car owners tend to be “tech-savvy middle-class” individuals receptive to cutting-edge technology.
However， in between these two， there exists a larger， untapped consumer base with significant potential.
These consumers are not defined by strong labels and do not necessarily seek a vehicle with a single standout feature. Instead， they value a “no-compromise choice” that lacks any obvious drawbacks.
This demographic is likely the primary target for the Qi Jing brand.
From its inception， Qi Jing has de-emphasized the unilateral leadership seen in previous collaborations. Instead， it adopts a model akin to traditional joint ventures， where both Huawei and GAC engage in co-decision-making， leveraging their respective strengths while addressing each other’s blind spots.
Concurrently with the establishment of the Qi Jing brand， Huawei has deployed teams from product， marketing， finance， and other key areas to be stationed at GAC Group. This facilitates “zero-latency” communication with their partners. GAC， in turn， has integrated Huawei’s IPD (Integrated Product Development) and IPMS (Integrated Product Marketing) systems to enhance operational efficiency.
The IPD system is responsible for optimizing research and development and management processes， with the ideal outcome being a reduction in time-to-market by 40-60% and a saving of 50-80% in development resources. The IPMS system， on the other hand， defines corresponding marketing strategies for different stages of the main process， aiming to facilitate a successful new car launch.
This collaborative spirit， characterized by a “mutual effort，” positions Huawei and GAC within Qi Jing as true co-founders. While challenges and obstacles are inevitable， the potential for achievement is significantly amplified.
Don’t dismiss this as mere speculation; a look at the distinct advantages of GAC and Huawei reveals the immense pressure Qi Jing， through their combined efforts， will bring to existing new players in the market.
While GAC Group may not be at the absolute forefront of the NEV era， it stands as a foundational player in China’s automotive history， having contributed numerous iconic vehicles. Its manufacturing prowess and heritage are truly profound.
For Qi Jing， GAC provides the “shield” of unwavering confidence.
As early as 1985， the Guangzhou Automobile Industry Corporation， in a joint venture with French Peugeot， established one of China’s pioneering joint-venture enterprises， Guangzhou Peugeot. The Peugeot 505， its flagship model， quickly became a market favorite due to its stylish design and meticulous craftsmanship， achieving annual sales exceeding 30，000 units.
Following the establishment of GAC Group in 1997， it not only secured joint ventures with Honda and Toyota but also， over more than a decade， integrated industrial resources and adopted advanced technologies. This led to the creation of countless beloved national vehicles like the Highlander， Accord， and Odyssey.
After nearly half a century of development， GAC now possesses one of China’s most robust and comprehensive automotive systems， encompassing research and development， manufacturing， and supply chain management.
GAC has even developed its own large-scale wind tunnel， a rarity in China， transforming it into the world’s first integrated “tri-in-one” wind tunnel laboratory， combining aerodynamics， acoustics， and thermal dynamics.
In terms of quality control， a crucial aspect for consumers and a common concern for new automotive brands， GAC adheres to its industry-renowned QDR (Quality， Durability， Reliability) total lifecycle quality management system. This ensures that products are built to the highest standards in design， production， and usage， resulting in safe and durable high-quality vehicles.
The market’s perception of GAC’s quality control is evident in the positive reception of the Accord and its related models in the past.
In contrast， Huawei provides Qi Jing with the sharpest “spear” to penetrate the market.
In China’s current competitive smart driving landscape， Huawei consistently ranks among the top contenders. This dominance stems from a viral demonstration video in 2021 that showcased a set of Arcfox Alpha S vehicles navigating complex urban traffic in Shanghai with near-full autonomous driving capabilities， akin to a science fiction scenario.
This demonstration featured the first generation of Huawei’s intelligent driving technology， integrated through the HI mode.
Over the past few years， Huawei has been instrumental in nearly every advancement in intelligent driving technology in China， from transitioning to high-definition map-free solutions that enable nationwide driving to evolving from modular algorithms to end-to-end networks that surpass rule-based systems. Huawei has often been the catalyst for these breakthroughs.
Many may know that Huawei’s intelligent driving system is powerful， but its specific strengths might not be widely understood. Here’s a tangible example:
Most vehicles equipped with intelligent driving capabilities rely on hardware components from various manufacturers. The intelligent driving chips might be from supplier A， LiDAR from supplier B， and cameras and domain controllers from other companies.
This introduces a significant issue: due to differing communication protocols， signal transmission between these disparate components can lead to cumulative time errors during translation. The delay from perceiving the environment to the vehicle executing an action could amount to several hundred milliseconds.
For advanced intelligent driving systems， where accidents can occur in the blink of an eye， such seemingly minor delays can be critical.
To address this challenge， Huawei began its pursuit of in-house intelligent driving hardware R&D over a decade ago and initiated technical research on LiDAR and other hardware in 2016.
With an accumulated R&D investment of 20 billion， Huawei has emerged as the only intelligent driving solutions provider in China capable of independently developing sensors， chips， algorithms， and conducting model training.
Vehicles equipped with Huawei’s intelligent driving solutions， featuring both hardware and software developed by Huawei， significantly reduce the aforementioned communication latency. Furthermore， the pace of algorithm iteration and the actual performance of intelligent driving functions are generally more efficient and safer compared to those of competitors.
This integration is precisely why Huawei’s intelligent driving technology alone can become a major selling point for a vehicle.
Considering all this， one can understand the substantial pressure Qi Jing will exert on its competitors.
In terms of technology， it boasts Huawei’s top-tier capabilities. In terms of system integration， it benefits from GAC’s decades of automotive manufacturing expertise， offering a level of control over quality and after-sales service that surpasses most other new players.
This combination aligns remarkably closely with the public’s expectation of a “foolproof vehicle.”
It remains to be seen how the public will react to this new brand， set to launch its first vehicle next year. Personally， after witnessing the often hyperbolic claims from new automotive startups， I found a sense of groundedness when GAC Chairman Feng Xingya referred to IPD reform as a long-term endeavor and emphasized the need for long-term commitment for the Qi Jing brand. This suggests a mature and responsible approach to vehicle manufacturing and customer engagement.
In the increasingly fierce competition within the new energy vehicle sector， this sense of stability， arguably more than aggressive configurations or lower prices， is what consumers value most in an automotive company.
Reports indicate that Qi Jing’s upcoming vehicle， scheduled for release next year， will be a high-end intelligent NEV positioned around the 300，000 RMB mark.
Upon the new car’s unveiling， it is anticipated that consumers will recognize how， when a large ship adjusts its course， it can navigate the new era with renewed momentum and a refreshed outlook.
