Avita 11, the first model of high-end new energy vehicle brand Avita under the joint venture of many companies including Changan and CATL and with the support of Huawei’s full-stack intelligent solution, recently made its debut on the new product catalogue of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

This is the second product of Huawei Inside system installed on a car, and in my opinion, the most commendable work since Huawei “got on board”.

Avita is a very rich-dimensional car brand. For Changan, it not only carries the main process of its mixed reform but also represents its high-end push strategy.

For CATL, it is an attempt by the battery supplier to participate directly in the creation of a complete vehicle brand, the most advanced position chosen by the automotive industry supplier.

For Huawei, the success or failure of Avita represents the success or failure of Huawei’s first phase as an intelligent full-stack supplier without making cars.

As for the major investors and participants, because the Avita project is highly disruptive to the traditional industrial logic, the three companies have been very cautious in avoiding many sensitive topics that are easily touched upon by the industry. Therefore, for a long time, in Huawei’s car matrix where making cars is not the focus, Huawei’s technology support appeared to be relatively flat, but Avita’s value is obviously much greater for Huawei and even the industry in terms of industrial heritage.

With the three giants and a group of strategic investors, if Avita is regarded as a new type of automotive enterprise organizational model, it is totally different from new forces such as WmAuto and an internal electrification roadmap of traditional companies like Volkswagen and Toyota. In China, there are quite a few similar intelligent electrification projects for independent brands, referred to as the third track of the industry, typical examples being IM, JiKe, and Voyah.

However, Avita still has a unique personality worth paying attention to. Its capital organizational form determines its highest degree of openness, which represents more efficient rejuvenation ability in innovative industries. But the cooperation mode of multiple giants’ joint ventures and each other’s technological support also brings some concerns from the outside world: will the 1+1+1 be greater than or even far greater than three?

This concern can only be tentatively answered by Avita 11, which has made it to the product catalogue.At last year’s brand launch event, we only had a glimpse of the brand’s first model, the Avita 11. Today, most of the specific data of the production version has been announced. With a length of 4880mm and a wheelbase of 2975mm, this is a typical mid-to-large-sized SUV; the front and rear motors have a power output of 195kW and 230kW respectively.

With the combined power of the front and rear motors, it can provide close to 600 horsepower, which is clearly a strategy for high-end luxury brands. Supercar-level power is always the fundamental confidence of a brand’s upward development. Avita has stated that the new car’s 0-100km/h acceleration time will be within 4 seconds. The only question is, what number comes after the decimal point for 3 seconds.

At that time, we were still unsure of how much difference there will be between the final production product and the concept model that was launched.

According to the announcement, the Avita 11 will be equipped with a 90.38kWh ternary lithium battery pack– which of course comes from CATL. The range of the Avita 11 with this battery is locked at 600km, but according to previous information, we know that Avita is still developing an even longer range version that can reach 700+km.

Perhaps because it is close to the source, the Avita 11 battery pack adopts CATL’s new generation CTP technology, which directly increases the overall energy density of the entire pack by improving the energy density of the unit cell. It reached a high level of 180Wh/kg for the entire pack, which is one of the high standards for mass-produced battery packs at present. Coupled with efficient dual-motor power, the declared energy consumption level is only 16.6kWh/100km, which is commendable for a mid-to-large-sized SUV.

When it was first released, the charging speed was vaguely described as “200 kW level”. Today, we learned that its highest charging power reaches 240kW. In fact, the Avita 11 will be the first mass-produced electric vehicle in China to adopt the 750V high-voltage fast-charging system. The charging speed from 30% to 80% only takes 15 minutes, but this still requires high-power fast-charging piles to be deployed as soon as possible.

CATL is the second-largest shareholder in Avita, and as a public supplier to many companies, CATL will certainly not favor one over the other. However, being close to the source is a logical and reasonable choice. CATL’s effort is a testimony to the smooth internal system of Avita from one perspective.It is still a suspense as to what kind of intelligent level Avita will have with Huawei’s deep participation, as indicated by the information from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Avita 11 carries a total of 34 sensing components, including up to three lidars, and the quality and quantity are both outstanding. According to the previous release, Avita 11 will be equipped with a 400Tops high-performance computing platform, capable of achieving full-scene high-end intelligent driving in high-speed and complex urban areas.

Lidars were at the forefront of the industry around the time of the Guangzhou Auto Show last year, and Avita quietly installed three of them. The high-spec hardware naturally corresponds to the high benchmark of software intelligence, and the final combination of hardware and software is supported and backed by Huawei’s automotive solution. What are the capabilities of Huawei Inside that require a completely new underlying design to fully manifest, and Avita will provide an answer.

Putting aside the unknown, the announcement from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology clearly indicates that Avita is a mass-produced car that almost completely restores the concept design. Starting from the UNI series, we have seen that Changan’s design style has changed from its previous stability to boldness and aggression.

Smooth and silky like silk, Avita inherits this change of the major shareholder, and in the foreseeable future, Avita is expected to be the highest-positioned independent brand of Changan. The exterior design of Avita 11 comes from the global design center in Munich, with an overall rounded and minimalistic style, as well as unique front and rear light groups and a personalized tailgate design responsible for attracting attention.

Many car companies now claim to be technology-based enterprises, and their products are luxurious because of their technology. This logic is not wrong, but there are not many who integrate these details well. For example, many products have solid technology configuration data and use flashy applications, but the technology feel is very ordinary in terms of design and layout. This at least shows that the brand lacks a comprehensive understanding and grasp of the so-called science and luxury.

The match between Avita 11’s overall vehicle design, battery energy system, and intelligent full-stack solution shows that the basic concept of pursuing scientific and technological luxury is very consistent among several giants in their treatment of the Avita brand and products. This is a foundation for whether a mosaic brand will ultimately undergo fission or fusion, or degrade into a mismatched combination.By the latest, this car will probably have a product that can be viewed up close by the end of this summer at the latest. Judging from current information, the AVITA 11 will be the most distinctive of this year’s wave of high-end electric vehicles, which is worth taking a closer look. Beyond the vehicle, what’s even more interesting is whether AVITA’s openness can ultimately converge into a what kind of tower in the innovative industry, which subverts many traditional daily practices of the automotive sector.

Of course, the AVITA 11 is also a product worthy of Huawei’s scrutiny. At last year’s Shanghai Auto Show, Huawei’s intelligent automotive solutions won enough attention. But what kind of car can carry the Huawei Smart Car brand and be suitable for migrating Huawei member benefits?

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.