Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC Motor has announced that it has begun accepting pre-orders for the first model to be developed under its new Shangjie brand, which it established in partnership with local technology giant Huawei Technologies.
The Shangjie brand was first unveiled in April this year, as the Shanghai-based automaker looked to gain momentum in the fast-expanding, but highly-competitive, local new energy vehicle (NEV) market. Production of Shangjie models will take place initially at an existing SAIC facility in Shanghai, with a dedicated facility to be built later on.
Local reports have suggested that the company received over 50,000 bookings for the Shangjie H5 in the first day of order-taking, with analysts suggesting that the model could achieve monthly volumes of between 5,000 and 10,000 units when sales begin on 23 September.
The Shangjie H5 mid-sized SUV, based on SAIC's Xingyun platform, will be offered in battery electric vehicle (BEV), extended range electric vehicle (EREV) and plug-in hybrid variants, with pre-sale prices starting at CNY 169,000 (US$ 23,600). The vehicle features Huawei's HarmonySpace smart cockpit, the Huawei ADS 4 advanced driver-assistance system, and the Huawei XMotion digital chassis system.
Shangjie is the fifth brand to be established under Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), following the Aito brand developed with Seres Group, Luxeed with Chery Automobile, Stelato with BAIC Group, and Maextro with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC).
