The newly launched AITO M7 and Shangjie H5 are set to be the sales champions for the Hongmeng Intelligent Mobility brand, likely boosting overall sales to a new high.
Regarding the pricing, which is a major concern for everyone, the new AITO M7 is priced from ¥279,800. There are a total of six versions for the range-extended/fully electric and five-seater/six-seater options. What is the rationale behind such a pricing strategy? There has been considerable discussion within our interest groups.
On one hand, the new AITO M7 is priced ¥30,000 higher than the old model, with all range-extended versions featuring four-wheel drive as standard and no rear-wheel-drive version to lower the entry price. On the other hand, the top-tier Ultra version matches the entry price of the AITO M8, leaving no price gap. Interestingly, there’s a ¥30,000 price gap between the current AITO M5 and the new M7. Could there be a hidden new model in the ¥250,000 to ¥280,000 price range?
The new AITO M7 also has a surprise for previous owners: a ¥40,000 discount is available for AITO non-intelligent driving version owners who purchase additional vehicles or trade-in.
This evening, the Shangjie H5 was also officially launched, starting at ¥159,800, becoming the most affordable Hongmeng Intelligent Mobility new car. The Shangjie H5 also offers six versions for range-extended and fully electric models. The top-spec model, the pure electric Max long-range version, and the range-extended Max are both under ¥200,000, and come standard with Huawei’s Qian Kun ADS advanced hardware, marking the first time advanced hardware has been included in models priced under ¥200,000.
Within five minutes of the new AITO M7’s launch, orders surpassed 10,000 units, and within an hour, orders exceeded 30,000 units. The Shangjie H5 garnered over 10,000 orders within an hour of launch. What do you predict the stable monthly sales figures for the AITO M7 and Shangjie H5 will be?
What’s upgraded in the new generation AITO M7?
After three years of effort and a ¥4 billion investment, what exactly has been upgraded in the new generation AITO M7?
The AITO M7 continues the design language of the M9 and M8, with a clear focus on young users. This strategy is quite astute. Are the M7, 8, and 9 too similar in design? Indeed, they are. But are all three cars identical in appearance? Obviously not.### Interior
In the interior section, the all-new AITO M7, despite being a more budget-friendly model, maintains high quality, certainly meeting the standards of a 300,000 RMB family SUV. The front row features four screens in total: a 10.25-inch instrument display, a symmetrical passenger screen, a 16.1-inch central control screen, and a HUD. All three physical screens come standard across the range, while the HUD is only available in the top-tier Ultra model with Huawei’s immersive HUD, boasting a size of 68 inches and a resolution of 1920*1080; other configurations have a 26-inch WHUD with a resolution of 1280*640.
Moving to the rear seats, the AITO M7 now features a rear-seat TV for the first time, a 17.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2880*1620. This screen is also standard in the Ultra version, while available as an option for other versions.
In terms of seat configuration, the AITO M7 now brings zero-gravity seats to the front row, with a zero-gravity driver’s seat and a quasi-zero-gravity passenger seat, and the right side of the second row in the six-seat version also has a zero-gravity seat. Regarding storage space, the all-new AITO M7 pure electric version is equipped with a 145 L front trunk. The large five-seater version has 850 L of trunk space, and even the six-seat version offers 312 L of trunk space when fully loaded.
Chassis
The all-new AITO M7’s most significant upgrade is likely its chassis.
The all-new AITO M7 is equipped with the robust Tulun platform, integrating HUAWEI ADS all-dimensional fusion perception, HUAWEI DATS dynamic adaptive torque control, and HUAWEI XMotion Control digital chassis engine. Previously utilizing a MacPherson structure, it now adopts a full aluminum alloy double-wishbone front suspension and a five-link independent rear suspension. According to the data released during the press conference, this chassis system can reduce impact by 33% and improve vibration filtering by 19%.
Another premium feature is the dual-chamber closed air suspension, which is available on all models except the extended Pro+ version. This air suspension system supports five-level height adjustment, with a range of 80mm. Additionally, active torque distribution control reduces slippage risk by 61%. Dynamic torque adjustment mitigates bumpiness, with the damper adjusting 100 times per second, reducing impact over road obstacles by 40% and enhancing comfort by 18%.
These chassis-related parameters highlight that the all-new AITO M7 has undergone a significant chassis upgrade. In previous test drives, we also praised this chassis system. Of course, we recommend you try it out for yourself to determine if this chassis suits you.## Yu Chengdong: In-Cabin Laser Vision Surpasses Others
The all-new AITO M7 has seen significant upgrades in its assisted driving capabilities. The entry-level model introduces in-cabin laser vision, which integrates cameras and lidar, all installed within the vehicle.
Currently, most vehicle-mounted lidars are installed on the roof or front of the car. This sensor layout is beneficial for lidar’s heat dissipation and ensures NVH performance inside the vehicle, but the downside is that the exposed lidar often looks rather unsightly.
In-cabin laser vision resolves this issue, though it may slightly diminish the lidar’s performance. Thus, the AITO M7’s entry-level Pro+ model is equipped with in-cabin laser vision perception, capable only of highway and urban expressways navigational assistance, but not city navigation, with reduced AEB functionality.
Yu Chengdong is very confident in the in-cabin laser vision solution, stating twice in a live broadcast: “Our in-cabin laser vision far exceeds the capabilities of others’ pure vision versions.”
Why not compare AITO M7 Pro+ with Xpeng?
Higher-level assisted driving hardware is equipped in the Max and Ultra versions, featuring 1 192-line lidar, 1 high-precision solid-state lidar, 3 distributed 4D millimeter-wave radar arrays, 2 4D millimeter-wave radars, 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 4 microphones, totaling 34 sensors.
This hardware setup is the same as that of the already released AITO M8, suggesting similar capabilities. However, when this hardware is applied to the mid-range M7 Max model, starting at 319,800 yuan, it presents a very competitive value.
Huawei Advanced Assisted Driving Under 200,000 Yuan
Huawei’s advanced assisted driving covers models priced between 200,000 to 1 million yuan. When will it be available for under 200,000 yuan? In January last year, when No.42 Garage interviewed Wang Yanmin, President of Huawei Terminal’s BG Smart Car Business Department, his response was, “It is absolutely impossible for a car priced at 150,000 yuan to be equipped with urban intelligent driving.”
Twenty months later, the Shangjie H5 featuring Huawei ADS 4 Advanced Edition starts at 179,800 yuan, entering the 150,000 yuan price range. If you prefer the ADS 4 Basic Edition, the Shangjie H5 is available from 159,800 yuan.Yu Chengdong repeatedly claimed in the live broadcast that the AITO H5 is “far superior to its class.” The key factor here is likely its advanced driver assistance features.
Before the launch of AITO H5, models equipped with Huawei’s Advanced Driver Assistance System within the HarmonyOS brand were priced above 200,000 yuan. With the AITO H5 equipped with Huawei’s advanced driver assistance priced below 200,000 yuan, more prospective buyers eager for top-notch assistance features can now purchase the AITO H5 with confidence.
Even more strikingly, Huawei’s advanced driver assistance coming in at the 150,000 to 200,000 yuan price range poses a disruptive challenge to other similar-priced models emphasizing driver assistance. One wonders if the predominant brands in this bracket will “align with Huawei” by 2026.
This article is a translation by AI of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.