HarmonyOS Smart Mobility is expanding, and "Huawei-associated automakers" are entering the deep end.
Huawei doesn't manufacture cars, yet its influence permeates the automotive industry.
At the 2025 Future Automobile Pioneers Conference in June, Yu Chengdong stated that "HarmonyOS Smart Mobility may expand to five categories and then stop." Now that the five categories are established, Huawei doesn't seem to be slowing down.
Beyond the "five categories" and long - time partners like Voyah and Avatr, major automakers such as GAC, Baojun, and Dongfeng have also reached further cooperation agreements with Huawei. The cooperation between automakers and Huawei has seemingly shifted from a "scarce dividend" to a "standard feature" for all.
As "Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving + HarmonyOS Cockpit" becomes the "basic configuration" for vehicles across all price segments, automakers that cooperate with Huawei but are not part of the HarmonyOS Smart Mobility lineup may find that the technological label brought by HarmonyOS seems to be losing its allure, and their own weaknesses are being magnified. A survival battle between technological dependence and independent innovation is unfolding.
01
Huawei's Entry into the Automotive Industry: No Longer a Lifesaver
Before 2024, vehicles equipped with Huawei's technology were almost guaranteed to be best - sellers in the market. At that time, the installation volume of Huawei's intelligent driving system was less than 300,000 units. The scarcity led to a technological premium, and any automaker that could attach the "cooperated with Huawei" label could easily attract market attention. In particular, Seres' revival showed many traditional automakers a path for transformation.
This "technological dividend" triggered a wave of cooperation between automakers and Huawei. In just one year, the product matrix of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility's "five categories" was rapidly established. Both established and emerging automakers like Voyah, GAC, Dongfeng, and Baojun joined the "Huawei - affiliated" camp, hoping to achieve brand upgrading and sales breakthroughs by allying with Huawei.
However, after one year, with the improvement of the product matrix of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility's "five categories" and the expansion of Huawei's technology licensing, the entire market landscape has undergone fundamental changes.
Recently, GAC Group and Huawei Qiankun jointly launched a high - end intelligent new energy vehicle brand named "Qijing." Meanwhile, the cooperation between Dongfeng Motor Group and Huawei has also been upgraded. Reports suggest that the two parties are preparing a new new energy vehicle brand, which will be deeply tied to Huawei. The first model is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of next year.
Different from previous cooperation models between Huawei and automakers, the new cooperation between GAC, Dongfeng, and Huawei can be regarded as the "HI Plus" model, which lies between Huawei's HI model and the HarmonyOS Smart Mobility model. Huawei is no longer just a one - way technology supplier or an all - controlling dominant player but an equal "deep co - creator" with automakers. Automakers have also upgraded from passive purchasers or executors to "joint leaders" with control over brand and sales.
In fact, the results of the cooperation between automakers and Huawei have been a mixed bag. Voyah under Dongfeng was one of the first brands to fully adopt Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving and HarmonyOS Cockpit. By seizing the "window period" when HarmonyOS Smart Mobility had not yet launched MPV products, Voyah has become a strong competitor in the high - end MPV market.
Image/Huawei Intelligent Automotive Solution Official Website
In contrast, the "Xiangwang" product series jointly launched by GAC Trumpchi and Huawei has not attracted many customers in the domestic market. When the first model, the Xiangwang S7, was launched, GAC Trumpchi made a big splash by using the domestic large aircraft C919 "Trumpchi Xiangwang" to promote the Trumpchi Xiangwang S7 and Trumpchi Xiangwang M8. However, the former only sold 1,649 units in August, and the latter sold 5,203 units. While this data is somewhat acceptable in the MPV segment, it represents the sales of all Trumpchi M8 models and is not significantly different from the sales before the cooperation.
Image/GAC Trumpchi Official
Looking at Baojun, the best - selling Baojun Yueye Plus only sold 3,422 units in August. It is positioned as a small SUV, while its first model in cooperation with Huawei, the Baojun Huajing S, is positioned as a mid - to large - sized SUV. Regardless of whether Baojun has successful experience in the mid - to large - sized SUV segment, with mid - to large - sized SUVs now priced as low as 150,000 yuan, the competition for the new model is intense.
There is no doubt that Huawei has been recognized by both the industry and consumers in terms of intelligent driving and intelligent cockpits. However, for automakers seeking cooperation, Huawei may no longer be a savior. Even with the "Huawei" label, whether a vehicle can be a best - seller still depends on the automaker itself. At least for now, Huawei's technology is no longer an added bonus but a basic requirement. The ultimate determinant of market success is still the overall strength of the automaker.
02
Automakers Need to Stand on Their Own Feet Despite Technological Support
Both GAC and Baojun have pinned their hopes on HarmonyOS Smart Mobility for their market performance. Some automakers have even used "Huawei's technology" as an "excuse for lazy R & D" and reduced investment in basic performance areas such as battery life, chassis, and safety. However, with the improvement of the product matrix of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility's "five categories," especially after the launch of the Shangjie H5 in the 150,000 - yuan price range, the survival space for other "Huawei - affiliated products" has been further squeezed.
Moreover, after the exposure of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility's 2026 product plan, the entire "Huawei - affiliated automaker" camp seems to be feeling unprecedented pressure. According to officially confirmed information, the number of new models of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility is expected to reach 20 in 2026. Among them, Zhijie will launch its first MPV (Zhijie X9), Xiangjie plans to introduce a hardcore off - road vehicle, Zunjie will supplement its luxury SUV product line, and Shangjie will cover the sedan market.
This comprehensive product expansion will not only fill the current market gaps but also undoubtedly have a precise impact on non - HarmonyOS "Huawei - affiliated automakers." The squeezing effect will be transmitted through three dimensions: market segments, price ranges, and user perception.
In terms of market segments, the success of Voyah Dreamer is largely due to the window period when HarmonyOS Smart Mobility had not yet entered the MPV market. Data shows that the Voyah Dreamer has topped the high - end MPV sales list multiple times and competes directly with models such as the Toyota Sienna and Denza D9. However, with the expected launch of the Zhijie X9 in 2026, this market landscape may be disrupted.
The Zhijie X9 (an MPV with the internal code EHV) may be built on the E0X - L platform, offering both pure - electric and extended - range powertrains. It is expected to be priced between 350,000 and 450,000 yuan, which highly overlaps with the price range of the Voyah Dreamer. More importantly, as a core brand of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility, Zhijie will have access to Huawei's sales network of over 1,200 stores nationwide, which is a channel advantage that Voyah, with only 300 stores, can hardly match. When HarmonyOS Smart Mobility fills the MPV gap, Voyah's advantage in the MPV market will shrink.
The squeezing effect in the price range is even more severe. The starting price of the Shangjie H5 at 169,800 yuan directly targets the core markets of the GAC Xiangwang S7 (in the 160,000 - 200,000 - yuan range) and the Baojun Huajing S (in the 150,000 - 200,000 - yuan range). As an entry - level model of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility, the Shangjie H5 is not only equipped with a full - set of Huawei's intelligent driving and cockpit systems but also performs well in basic performance areas such as battery life (up to 655 km for the pure - electric version) and space.
This product combination of "no technological difference + basic performance up to standard" will have a direct and overwhelming impact on models that only rely on Huawei's technology for decoration but lack significant highlights in basic performance areas such as battery life and chassis. The sales data in August 2025 already shows signs of this: during the pre - sale period of the Shangjie H5, the number of orders exceeded 10,000, while the GAC Xiangwang S7 only sold 1,649 units in the same month. The market has clearly tilted towards HarmonyOS Smart Mobility, which has a stronger "Huawei flavor."
The change in user perception fundamentally shakes the market foundation of non - HarmonyOS "Huawei - affiliated automakers." Industry monitoring data shows that as intelligent cockpit technology evolves towards a "human - centered" approach (as stated in the "2025 Automotive Intelligent Cockpit Technology Trends" report by the Society of Automotive Engineers of China), consumers' attitudes towards automotive intelligent technology have shifted from blind admiration to rational evaluation.
The report "The Essence of Automotive Intelligence is a Mobility Revolution" released by Soochow Securities points out that with the popularization of urban NOA (a core L3 - level intelligent driving function) in 2025, consumers' evaluation criteria for intelligent driving have shifted from "the presence or absence of technology" to "the quality of the experience." The proportion of consumers who simply pay for brand labels continues to decline. The report also specifically mentions that in early 2024, when the penetration rate of urban NOA was only 7.8%, leading brands' technologies were more likely to be favored. However, by mid - 2025, when the penetration rate rose to 22.3%, consumers' decision - making was more focused on the practicality of scenarios and the overall performance of the vehicle.
The "2025 China Automotive Intelligent Experience Research (TXI)" by J.D. Power also shows that intelligent vehicle users have shifted from "worshipping configuration stacking" to "being sensitive to experience optimization." Only 23% of users list intelligent driving as the primary factor when purchasing a vehicle. Most consumers value the integrated performance of technology with basic performance areas such as battery life and safety.
This change in perception has given rise to a new consumer decision - making logic: Huawei's technology must work in conjunction with basic experiences such as comfort, battery life, and safety to attract users. When the technology label becomes ubiquitous, the competitiveness of a product ultimately depends on the solidity of its basic experiences. If non - HarmonyOS "Huawei - affiliated automakers" cannot address their weaknesses in the core areas that users care about, it will be difficult for them to make an impact in the market.
03
Find Differentiation and Build a New Paradigm for Breaking Through
Facing the increasing squeezing effect of HarmonyOS Smart Mobility, there is still a way out for non - HarmonyOS "Huawei - affiliated automakers," but they need to completely restructure their development paradigms.
Simple technology binding or blind confrontation is not a good strategy. The key lies in finding a balance between "Huawei's technology empowerment" and "their own brand identity." By integrating technology into specific scenarios, making up for deficiencies in basic R & D, and innovating in the service ecosystem, automakers can establish a differentiated competitive advantage. Those automakers that use Huawei's technology as an "excuse for lazy R & D" will eventually be eliminated, while those that know how to leverage Huawei's ecosystem while maintaining their own core advantages will surely find their own survival space.
The scenario - based integration strategy requires automakers to deeply integrate Huawei's technology into their core user scenarios rather than simply piling up features. Looking back at the success of the Voyah Dreamer, it combined Huawei's intelligent driving technology with high - end business scenarios and developed some exclusive features, allowing the technology to truly serve user needs. This approach is worth learning from other automakers. For example, GAC could integrate the HarmonyOS Cockpit with child safety monitoring and parent - child interaction features for family users. Baojun could focus on urban short - distance commuting scenarios and optimize the low - speed following and automatic parking experience of Huawei's intelligent driving system.
The core logic of these strategies is to make Huawei's technology an integral part of the "scenario - based solution" rather than an isolated marketing label. Dongfeng Mengshi's practice also confirms this. It plans to introduce Huawei's management methods such as IPD (Integrated Product Development) and IPMS (Integrated Product Marketing and Service) and combine its products with the off - road scenarios of high - end SUVs to create a differentiated label of "intelligent off - road."
Making up for deficiencies in basic R & D is an inevitable task. The technological barrier built by Huawei's annual R & D investment of up to 179.7 billion yuan cannot be easily overcome through simple technology licensing. Non - HarmonyOS "Huawei - affiliated automakers" must increase investment in basic areas such as battery life, charging, chassis, and safety to strengthen their "technological foundation."
J.D. Power's research shows that vehicle safety has become a new hot demand. The high usage frequency and high repurchase intention of safety - related configurations such as off - vehicle assistance and driver monitoring reflect that consumers' demand for safety guarantees in daily driving scenarios is significantly increasing. This means that these automakers should not allocate too much budget to adapting Huawei's technology but should reserve sufficient funds for independent innovation. The practice of AITO, which still retains a self - developed core three - electric system R & D team while cooperating deeply with Huawei, is worth learning from for all non - HarmonyOS automakers.
Innovation in the service ecosystem is also