Huawei and SAIC join forces! Shangjie is poised for action: highly competitive.

When the strongest technology meets China's "number one" in the automotive industry, what kind of sparks will they ignite? What disruptions will this bring to the entire domestic automotive market landscape?

According to the latest media reports, a new brand under HarmonyOS Intelligent Travel, named Shangjie, is set to officially meet everyone on April 10.It will become the fifth "Jie" series brand following Wenjie, Zhijie, Xiangjie, and Zunjie, jointly created by Huawei and SAIC, with impressive overall strength.

Based on the characteristics and sales of various brands under the HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility, we can basically confirm:

Wenjie still occupies a leading position, focusing on the all-scenario home SUV category and targeting the mid-to-high-end new energy market, covering a price range of 250,000 to 650,000 yuan. Representative models include the M5 series, M7 series, and M9 series.

Zhijie primarily targets young user groups, balancing both SUV and sedan categories, emphasizing sporty driving control and youthful intelligence, covering a price range of 200,000 to 400,000 yuan, with representative models including S7 and R7.

The brand positions itself at the intersection of business and luxury, focusing on being a benchmark for executive flagship models. It aims to disrupt the traditional luxury core of BBA with "technological luxury," making it the preferred choice for high-end business users in the new era. Representative models include the S9 series and the upcoming S9 Touring version.

The ZunJie is priced at a million-level, targeting ultra-luxury brands such as Rolls-Royce and Maybach, and is positioned as a top-tier technological flagship. The first representative model is the ZunJie S800 sedan, which debuts the TuLing LongXing platform, as well as the Xinghe Communication Tiandi Network. In the future, there may also be more categories such as MPVs and SUVs.

It can be seen that HarmonyOS Smart Travel covers various segmented markets through a multi-brand matrix.Especially, the brand positioning among different "categories" is significantly distinct, which not only avoids conflict and "internal friction" but also creates a complementary relationship to meet the diverse needs of all consumer groups.

The upcoming "Shangjie" is no exception, as its positioning and the first model are clearly different from those of its predecessors.

The first model is priced between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan, targeting the lower-tier market.

The first model of the "Shangjie" brand is said to be optimized based on existing SAIC models. According to current information, the representative model of "Shangjie" is positioned as a mid-to-large SUV, modified from SAIC's existing models. It will incorporate Huawei's electronic and electrification architecture, ADS advanced intelligent driving, and HarmonyOS intelligent cockpit technologies. It is expected to officially launch in Q4 of this year, with a price range of 150,000 to 200,000 yuan, targeting young consumers and cost-effectiveness, and is likely to become the most affordable new car within the HarmonyOS intelligent mobility system.

There are external indications that it will be based on the current SAIC Feifan RC7 and integrate Huawei's smart ecosystem.

Reviewing the old Feifan RC7, the overall length is 4860mm, width 1920mm, height 1660mm, and the wheelbase is 2935mm. It adopts a mainstream SUV design, with the option to equip a laser radar on the roof. In terms of interior, it features a new "dual-screen" style as previously exposed. The vehicle is built on a 400V pure electric platform, and the entire lineup only offers a single-motor version, with three battery options available: 62.2kWh, 77kWh, and 90kWh.

This car focuses on spaciousness for families and intelligence, with the official announcement stating that the price would be below 200,000 yuan. However, as the Feifan sub-brand has fully returned to SAIC, the RC7, which was originally planned for release in the second half of 2024, has not been heard from until this year, when it was revealed that the internal project has restarted, becoming the first model after the "investment in China."

Moreover, the power system may not be limited to pure electric; it will incorporate a "range extender" system using SAIC's solution. Coupled with Huawei's cost reduction and efficiency improvement in areas like intelligent driving and intelligent cockpit, the first model of "Shangjie" is expected to be very cost-effective in terms of pricing.

"Pioneer of Technological Equality, Shangjie Also Wants to Get Involved"

The emergence of "Shangjie" is truly timely. The year 2025 will be the breakout year for "universal intelligent driving," and technological equality has already reached the mainstream mid-range market of 100,000 to 200,000 yuan.

A few days ago, the Aito M5 Ultra was newly launched, featuring HUAWEI ADS 3.3 advanced driving assistance as standard across all models. In terms of hardware, it has been upgraded with a 192-line LiDAR and 4D millimeter-wave radar, supporting a no-map city driving function that is safe and convenient nationwide. The starting price is 229,800 yuan, setting a new lower price limit for Huawei's advanced driving assistance mass-produced models.

As the current top player in high-level smart driving in China, Huawei's intense competition indicates that the industry's competitive landscape is becoming increasingly severe. In fact, this is indeed the case, as at the beginning of the year, companies like BYD, Chery, Geely, and Great Wall successively launched their "Smart Driving for All" strategies. Moreover, GAC has even lowered the price of its driverless urban models to the 150,000 yuan level.

The launch of the "Shangjie" brand undoubtedly represents a strong takeover of the market at this price point. It is both a declaration of war from SAIC's "number one" and...The first entry of Huawei's intelligent driving into the market, given the influence and technological experience of these two brands, is believed to have a tremendous impact on the entire market.