Aito, Huawei’s most successful brand under Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), delivered 181,197 vehicles during the first half of 2024, dominating one of the top spots for Chinese NEV startups. The tech giant initiated and collaborated with traditional automakers to provide intelligent vehicle software and hardware. Aito is now neck and neck with Li Auto regarding vehicle deliveries in the first half of 2024.
Aito, a joint venture between Huawei and Seres, offers three models: M5, M7, and M9. Seres manufactures the vehicles, while Huawei supplies parts and software and handles sales. Aito vehicles are available in Huawei flagship stores across China.
The flagship SUV, Aito M9 (see specs), is available in EREV and BEV versions. This high-end, six-seat vehicle is priced between 469,800 and 569,800 yuan (approximately 64,800 to 78,600 USD), competing with SUVs like the BMW X7, Li Auto, and Nio. Despite its price tag, the Aito has been one of China’s top-selling SUVs since it launched.
As we reviewed the Li Auto L6 last week, we will continue to explore popular models from top Chinese NEV startups. Let’s head out with the Aito M9 on this week’s Sunday China Drive!
First Impressions
Our test car is the Aito M9 2024 Ultra EREV, a full-size SUV with modern styling and a sleek design. It has a closed front face integrated with triangular headlights, complemented by an LED strip cutting through the center and intelligent air intake ducts, giving it a stern look. The high-tech headlights utilize adaptive matrix LED technology to identify pedestrians and vehicles while preventing glare. Additionally, the integrated DLP projector can display images up to 100 inches in size. The rear has a continuous taillight. Both headlight and rear lights are programmable and can be customized.
The Aito M9’s design is inspired by “Kunpeng Zhanyi,” a Chinese myth of Kunpeng, a divine fish that transforms into a bird when it emerges from the water. Flush-fitting, retractable door handles, and a gently sloping roofline contribute to cabin spaciousness. The D-pillars display the HIMA logo. Regarding aerodynamics, the EREV version boasts a drag coefficient of 0.279 Cd. The doors sounded very solid when they closed. All the panels are aligned, and the paint looks well-finished.
The Interior
The Aito M9 is very luxurious. The center console houses three LED displays: a 15.6-inch driver’s display, a 16-inch front passenger’s screen, and a 12.3-inch instrument panel. It also features a 75-inch AR-HUD, all powered by Huawei’s Harmony OS. However, there were very few physical buttons to be found.
All doors are electronically operated. When you step on the brake pedal, all the doors will close automatically. It has six Nappa leather seats in a 2+2+2 layout, allowing six adults to sit comfortably. Seats in the first two rows are ventilated leather seats with massage functions. The co-pilot seat has a fold-down footrest. The second row has zero-gravity seats. All seats are electronically operated.
The Aito M9 has several unique features. These include the co-pilot seat, which can be folded down as a footrest for the “boss seat” behind. It has a refrigerator that can achieve 3°C — 50°C.
There is a 32-inch retractable projector screen behind the first-row seats, which is used in conjunction with the projector located on top of the third-row seats. With the Huawei sound system with 25 speakers, the M9 can become a cinema on wheels. However, the viewing distance from the second row may be too close for comfort. Alternatively, passengers in the second and third rows may optionally add Huawei Matepad tablets to interact with the car’s system or watch movies.
Storage
The trunk has a capacity of 716 liters and 41 additional storage spaces. For increased security, individual storage spaces can be locked with a password.
Behind the Wheel
The Aito M9 is a full-size SUV with 5232/ 1999/ 1801 mm and has a wheelbase of 3109 mm. Its curb weight is 2,560 kg. Surprisingly, the vehicle communicates quite well with the driver while on the road due to its slightly firmer suspensions, which provide less body roll when changing lanes and turning corners. The steering offered precision. The chassis also felt solid. It drives very differently from its direct reveal Li Auto L9 (see specs), which filters out all the details of humps and bumps when driven.
Aito M9 felt planted and offered the driver confidence when encountering twists and turns. This is also helped by Aito M9’s turning radius of only 5.8 meters, even without four-wheel steering. This was helpful during U-turns and tight corners.
The NVH was exceptional during our test drive with the Aito M9 around suburban roads in Zhuhai. Most cars we tested on CNC have good NVH below 80 km/h. When above 80 km/h, most cars pick up tire noises, and wind noises occur above 100 km/h. Either of these happened with the Aito M9 within the cabin.
The EREV version uses a 1.5-liter ICE as a generator and two e-motors producing 365 kW with 675 Nm torque. It can hit 0 – 100 km/h on a straight road in 4.9 sec. The Aito M9 effortlessly overtakes other cars on the highway and climbing hills. While some may still be stuck with the concept that heavy vehicles can only move fast with V8 engines or twin-turbos, all the cars we fitted with e-motors we tested on CNC have never been slow to accelerate. Only when the battery is running low will the Aito M9 restrict the use of the e-motors, slowing the car’s acceleration. We have not encountered this issue since we only test vehicles for short distances.
The vehicle features the Huawei ADS 2.0 driving assistance system, enabling autonomous driving in 338 cities across China through high-precision mapping. The Aito M9 is fitted with one Lidar sensor, three millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and multiple high-definition cameras for comprehensive vehicle vision. The SUV effectively detected surrounding objects (including a combination of pedestrians, e-bikes, buses, traffic lights, and road works), adjusted its speed, changed lanes, and made U-turns, though manual intervention was occasionally needed. These advanced technologies and future updates enhance its autonomous driving capabilities and expand city NOA coverage nationwide. Additionally, the auto parking system was fast and precise.
Range
The 42 kWh battery from CATL gives the car an all-electric range of 225 km and a mixed range of 1,362 km.
Safety features
The Aito M9 has nine airbags to cushion occupants during collisions and 16 safety points, enhancing overall crash safety. It also features a threshold beam with 11 protective cavities, enhancing side-impact energy absorption.
The Aito M9’s predominantly aluminum chassis features an air suspension and CDC system. Seres employs a Wencan IDRA9800T unit, a 10,000-ton super diecasting machine, the world’s best one-piece diecasting technology. This reduces the number of parts and solder joints. The process increases torsional rigidity by 23%, simplifies manufacturing, boosts production efficiency, and enhances vehicle endurance and energy-saving efficiency. Aluminum alloy accounts for 80% of the vehicle’s weight, making it super lightweight. It includes 2000MPa nuclear submarine-grade hot steel in 12 spots, providing a low coefficient of 2.02, ruggedness, corrosion resistance, and high reliability.
Dealership Experience
As you may know, Huawei is a tech giant that produces smartphones, tablets, numerous smart devices, and network equipment. Huawei has 800 flagship stores (similar to Apple stores) across China. Some are located in shopping malls across China. In these stores, they do not only sell their smart devices but also their HIMA cars. Regarding the test drive, you must book at least two days in advance with the HIMA cars. This is because they need to assign a Huawei test drive specialist to accompany you during the test drive to explain the vehicle’s details and aid you with all the advanced tech on board during the drive test drive. After the test drive, I was greeted by a sales rep to explain the pricing structure of the vehicle. It was the most unique test drive experience I have had to date. I imagine Xiaomi deploying a similar strategy to sell their cars in their 2,000+ Mi stores across Mainland China.
Conclusion
Seres has announced a 2.5 billion yuan (344 million USD) acquisition of the Aito trademark and patents from Huawei, encompassing 919 trademark rights and 44 appearance patents. Despite the assets being valued at 10.2 billion yuan in May 2024, the deal focuses on changing ownership without altering Aito’s operations. Huawei will remain involved in the vehicle lifecycle without producing the cars. It’s worth noting that in May, Huawei transferred the Stelato trademark to BAIC New Energy and the Luxeed name to Chery last month.
The Aito M9, a luxury SUV from Huawei and Seres offering lots of bells and whistles, combines advanced technology and competitive performance, underscoring the potential of their collaboration. The acquisition highlights Seres’ commitment to the partnership, ensuring the Aito brand’s continued growth and success.
Stay tuned for next week’s Sunday China Drive at Car News China, where you can get more evaluations of Chinese cars from a first-person perspective.
