Huawei‘s Maextro S800 Outselling Luxury Rivals in China

(China – Bloomberg) – Huawei Technologies Co.’s ultra-luxury Maextro S800 sedan is now so popular in China that it outsells Porsche AG’s Panamera, Mercedes-Benz Group AG’s S-Class and all other vehicles wiht list prices of at least $100,000.

And it is not for little. As its launch in May, sales of the Maextro outpaced all other models in that price range in September and have not slowed down. Last month, they left dealerships in quantities larger than the Panamera-one of the long-time best-selling models-and the BMW 7 series combined, according to data compiled by ECC Intelligence.

Presented as a vehicle that competes with a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley – but at a fraction of the price – Huawei conquered one of the last corners of the Chinese automotive market that foreign brands maintained as a bastion.It is the latest example of how global manufacturers, which gave up their leadership in generalist cars years ago, continue to lag behind local companies in the world’s largest automotive market, with no signs of the trend reversing.

“Chinese customers’ changing demands and growing pride in domestic brands have disrupted the luxury market,” said Zhu Yulong, founder of consultancy Zhineng Auto.

Huawei, known for years as one of China’s leading technology companies, emerged as a dominant force in the country’s auto industry by partnering with local manufacturers. These deals typically involve Huawei providing high-end technology – such as driver-assist software – and its extensive sales network, while the partner builds the vehicle. Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp. produces the Maextro at its plant in Hefei, in the east of the country.

The Maextro starts at 708,000 yuan and goes up to 1.02 million yuan in its most premium version. By comparison, the panamera starts at 1.1 million yuan in china.

Published: 2025/12/26 13:19:22