The pre - order has exceeded 80,000 units. Shangjie H5 defines "scarce cost - effectiveness".
During the Chengdu Auto Show, the Shangjie H5 snatched the most prominent headline. With unprecedented intelligence and safety in its class, it received 25,000 pre - orders within 1 hour of pre - sale, and the order volume exceeded 50,000 within 18 hours. On September 8th, the Shangjie H5 even achieved the feat of over 80,000 small - scale orders, becoming a rare "phenomenal" product in the 200,000 - level SUV segment and is truly an incredibly cost - effective car.
Behind this model, known as "the most cost - effective Hongmeng Smart Mobility SUV", stands a person who has been continuously "applying pressure" - Yu Chengdong. He once declined this project due to limited resources. However, in the end, he chose to get involved in another way: becoming the "grindstone" for SAIC.
Outside the Chengdu Auto Show, Yu Chengdong and Jia Jianxu had a "spicy" "hot - pot session", revealing to the outside world the whole process of the Shangjie from scratch. The Shangjie H5 is not a lucky hit but a sharp blade "ground" after countless refinements.
Since the project was initiated, the Shangjie has been under the strict supervision of the highest - level management. Yu Chengdong, the Executive Director of Huawei and the Chairman of the Terminal BG, and Jia Jianxu, the President of SAIC Group, almost talk on the phone every other day and meet every other week, constantly raising the standards to create "the most cost - effective Hongmeng Smart Mobility SUV".
Although he is not a project manager, Yu Chengdong has become the "chief engineer" in the product sense, using Huawei's strict requirements for user experience to sharpen SAIC's system capabilities in reverse. And the SAIC team led by Jia Jianxu has withstood this high - intensity and high - frequency "top - level dialogue". On one thing, both sides reached an agreement: they wanted to create a product that could redefine the benchmark for "200,000 - level intelligent vehicles".
As a result, the Shangjie H5 has become a model that can subvert people's perceptions and is truly an "incredibly cost - effective car". It comes standard with Huawei's Qiankun Intelligent Driving ADS 4 assisted driving system and Hongmeng Cockpit across all models, is equipped with a high - performance 192 - line lidar, and is priced from 169,800 yuan. This is an unprecedented configuration level in its class, and it is also the result "ground" out by both sides under extremely tight resource conditions through extreme product definition and management efficiency.
The Hard - won "Fifth Realm"
Let's go back to the beginning of 2024. Jia Jianxu, who had just returned to SAIC Group, made a major decision. He hoped to promote cooperation with Huawei. The openness of SAIC Group and Jia Jianxu's initiative made the Shangjie brand sprout, but Huawei's response was unexpected. Yu Chengdong admitted, "Many car manufacturers are approaching us." At that time, Huawei's selected car program had already laid out four brands, and resource allocation was approaching the limit. The "Fifth Realm" seemed out of reach.
The turning point came at the Guangzhou Auto Show at the end of 2024. Despite being declined multiple times before, Jia Jianxu was still determined to seize this opportunity to communicate face - to - face. He showed full sincerity, "I even played the hometown card. Both of us are from Anhui. I'm from a small place in Anhui."
This perseverance touched Yu Chengdong, and the two finally met for a "mid - night snack session" outside the auto show. It was at this dinner that Yu Chengdong and Jia Jianxu put forward the practical problems such as resources, manpower, and supply chain required to achieve the "Fifth Realm" on the table one by one and had an open and in - depth dialogue.
It was also in this crucial conversation that Yu Chengdong felt the extraordinary determination and execution ability of the SAIC team, and Jia Jianxu had a deeper understanding of Huawei's ultimate pursuit of product and user experience. In other words, the success of the Shangjie H5 is because it is not a product "ripened" by the development process but a product catalyzed by determination.
A few days after finalizing the cooperation intention, Huawei and SAIC Group entered a rare "top - level direct connection" state. Yu Chengdong and Jia Jianxu almost talk on the phone every other day and meet every other week. They are personally involved in every key link, from product definition and design review to supply chain rhythm.
This frequency of interaction goes beyond the common practice in the industry of "signing the agreement and then leaving it to the second - tier team". It is more like Huawei and SAIC Group have started a continuous joint battle. Facts have proved that "top - level direct connection" is not only a breakthrough in the cooperation model but also the only way to achieve both speed and quality.
After finalizing the cooperation intention, the Shangjie project was officially launched in less than two months. From the very beginning, this brand has been under the strict supervision of the highest - level management. Yu Chengdong is more like the "Chief Product Manager", directly participating with extremely high standards.
The first product review meeting after the cooperation was confirmed is still fresh in the memory of all participants. "During the first styling review, Mr. Yu's comments made me break into a cold sweat," Jia Jianxu said. Yu Chengdong was straightforward about the initial design: "We were very dissatisfied with the product plans presented at the beginning."
The focus of the dispute lies in product definition. The style of traditional car manufacturers pays more attention to mechanical quality and cost control. Yu Chengdong emphasized: "Nowadays, young people pay great attention to appearance and emotional value. In terms of products, the appearance and interior design must be excellent."
Soon, the Shangjie team took the car to Nanjing for re - modification. They adjusted the headlights, tail lines, and drag coefficient overnight, and even refined the cockpit texture. The second review finally passed at once.
Since then, Yu Chengdong has got a new nickname within SAIC Group - "grindstone". Huawei's strict standards for Hongmeng Smart Mobility once made the team nervous, but after being polished again and again, the product definition of Shangjie has gradually taken shape: It should have both good looks and performance; both large space and intelligence; both cost control and user experience.
This kind of strictness like "grinding a knife" has not defeated the team but has become a reverse - forcing mechanism. SAIC Group's engineer culture has been forced to align with user thinking, and Huawei's ultimate requirements have been forced to be implemented in the engineering closed - loop. This is the reason why Shangjie can lay a solid foundation in a short time.
This kind of investment extends to the road - test stage. Previously, Reuters captured Yu Chengdong and Jia Jianxu test - driving the new Shangjie car together. The two sat side by side in the driver's seat and the passenger seat, looking focused, and occasionally bowing their heads to communicate, like two "product managers" monitoring the functions and user experience. Both sides are using higher standards and more direct ways to monitor the product.
From the redesigned design to the top - level management's personal road - test, this top - down mechanism has pushed the decision - making of Shangjie's products to the highest level, thus changing the rhythm of this brand. The "grindstone" - style leadership has finally forced out a well - rounded product.
It has also accelerated the implementation of a project that was originally resource - constrained and destined to be difficult to launch, making it "the fastest - emerging Hongmeng Smart Mobility". The so - called "speed miracle" is just the inevitable result of the top - level management's personal leadership. And leaving the complexity to themselves and the simplicity to users is the reason why Shangjie can become a "scarce" product.
The "One - Stop" Achieved through Pressure
The birth of the Shangjie H5 is essentially an extreme practice of "how to build a great intelligent car for the masses".
In the Shangjie project, Huawei proposed a new car - building logic. First, the user - perceivable experience must be determined, and then it should be implemented through engineering means. This is what Yu Chengdong calls "wanting this, wanting that, and still wanting the other". The design should be beautiful, and the drag coefficient should be low; the space should be large, and the battery life should not be compromised; the intelligence should be comprehensive, and the price should be kept below 200,000 yuan.
This "all - around pass" logic is a double - edged test for the engineering system and the business model. At first, the SAIC team thought these requirements were an "impossible triangle", but in the process of repeated refinement and benchmarking against user needs, they gradually reached a consensus: non - compromise itself is the biggest selling point of this car.
In the past, the "ceiling" experience of intelligentization in the Chinese auto market has always been firmly held by high - end products. SUV users with a budget of less than 200,000 yuan often have to make trade - offs among space, safety, and fuel consumption, and most of the intelligent configurations only meet the minimum requirements.
On the Shangjie H5, "incredible value" has been given a new meaning. It has brought the capabilities that should belong to high - end models directly into the mainstream market, and has also become an extreme attempt by the Hongmeng Smart Mobility family for "intelligent equality".
Specifically, this is a car unprecedented in its class. It is the first to equip the Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving ADS 4 assisted driving system as standard in a mass - market model. Having its intelligent driving ability means that users can enjoy the convenience of "being able to drive anywhere" in urban areas, underground garages, and even rural roads, making parking no longer a problem and high - speed travel easier and safer.
In other words, intelligence is no longer a symbol of status but a basic right like seat belts and airbags. This also makes the Shangjie H5 a truly "incredibly cost - effective car", and for the first time, intelligentization has become the entry - level requirement for 200,000 - level SUVs.
This unprecedented level of intelligentization in its class is particularly rare in horizontal comparison. Joint - venture SUVs in the 200,000 - yuan range still emphasize mechanical quality, and intelligentization has never been their advantage. Although many new - energy vehicle brands are brave in trying intelligent features, limited by cost and scale due to their small size, it is difficult for them to really enter the mainstream price range.
Today's Chinese auto market is not short of models, configurations, or slogans. What is truly scarce is a good car that can achieve "one - stop" satisfaction at a reasonable price.
Building such a car is the ultimate test of a car manufacturer's capabilities. For consumers, it is a car; for the industry, it is a test paper, testing whether a brand can maintain its comprehensive advantages in the most competitive price range.
This is exactly the essential requirement of the intelligent vehicle era - users no longer accept a single strong point but require "all - around excellence". In such an environment, with a starting price of 169,800 yuan, the Shangjie H5 has made the Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving ADS 4 assisted driving system, Hongmeng Cockpit, and 192 - line lidar standard configurations for models under 200,000 yuan, which is equivalent to rewriting the experience coordinates for 200,000 - level SUVs and making top - notch intelligent driving and Hongmeng ecosystem accessible to the general public. Car buyers can also enjoy a cash subsidy of 450 million yuan, and the more people place orders, the lower the price will be. Such a generous discount is unprecedented in its class.
On the surface, the Shangjie H5 is a textbook - level debut of "the most cost - effective Hongmeng Smart Mobility SUV", once again confirming its market positioning as an "incredibly cost - effective car". But in a deeper sense, it answers a question that has been repeatedly asked by the entire industry - In an era of "excess" models and configurations, how to create real "scarcity".
Shangjie Solves the Problem of "Whoever Does It Will Lose Money"
To achieve "one - stop" satisfaction in the 200,000 - level market, Shangjie relies not only on persistence in design but also on organizational support and division of labor. Yu Chengdong admitted, "The costs of Hongmeng Cockpit and ADS 4 are too high. Whoever uses them will lose money." This is the reason why Huawei has been hesitant to enter the market below 200,000 yuan.
However, for SAIC Group, its 70 - year car - building experience, complete supply chain, and cost - control ability can just fill this cost gap. Thus, the division of labor between the two sides gradually became clear. Huawei is responsible for pushing the upper limit of intelligentization, and SAIC Group is responsible for reducing the manufacturing level and cost to an acceptable range.
