On the evening of May 31, the AITO M7 Ultra was unveiled at the renewal launch event. The vehicle was made available for sale on the day of its release, and within just one hour, pre-orders exceeded 6,000 units. By June 2, some customers had already taken delivery of their cars. Richard Yu, Huawei's Executive Director, Chairman of Device BG, and Chairman of Intelligent Automotive Solution BU, stated on Weibo, "Delivery equals scale, and scale equals massive volume!"

During the event, Richard Yu also revealed the latest sales figures for several products under the HarmonyOS Smart Mobility brand. The AITO M5 achieved over 20,000 pre-orders within one month of its launch; the AITO M7 reached 180,000 pre-orders in eight months; the AITO M9 garnered over 90,000 pre-orders in five months; and the ZHIJIE S7 ranked as the No. 3 electric sedan priced above 300,000 yuan in April deliveries.

According to reports, the AITO M7 Ultra has launched a total of 4 models, priced between 289,800 and 329,800 yuan, continuing to target the 300,000 yuan in the new energy vehicle market.

Family Designed, Smart-Driving Upgraded

In terms of exteriordesign, the AITO M7 Ultra has body dimensions of 5020×1945×1760 mm, a wheelbase of 2820 mm, and is classified as a mid-to-large SUV. It offers two new wheel sizes (20 inches and 21 inches). The front of the vehicle features a family-style closed design and is available in five exterior colors and three interior color schemes, including the new interstellar blue exterior and red-orange interior options. Additionally, a closed front bumper is available as an option.

Regarding theinterior space, the AITO M7 Ultra offers a passenger space of 3338 mm. The seats have been upgraded to Nappa leather soft-cloud seats, with new double beach chair mode and large bed mode, providing a maximum interior space of 3m×1.5m. The cockpit features Huawei's HarmonyOS intelligent cockpit system, equipped with a super desktop, multi-device collaboration, front and rear screen linkage, Schroeder acoustic diffusion technology, and rear MagLinks that support a 13.2-inch screen.

In terms of performance, the AITO M7 Ultra is equipped with Huawei's DriveONE range-extended electric drive platform. The four-wheel-drive version can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, has a pure electric range of 240 km, and a combined range of 1,300 km.

For smart driving, the AITO M7 Ultra features Huawei's ADS 2.0 advanced smart driving system and is equipped with industry-leading 192-line LiDAR (same as AITO M9) on the roof, with a maximum detection range of 250m and a scanning frequency of 20Hz, enabling better response to sudden road incidents such as "ghost probes."

As of May 2024, Huawei's ADS 2.0 advanced smart driving system has continuously evolved, with urban NCA pilot coverage in over 40,000 urban and rural areas nationwide, a total smart driving mileage of 220 million kilometers, and cloud learning training computing power increased to 3.5E FLOPS. This comprehensive perception capability has also significantly enhanced driving safety.

In terms of chassis and range, the AITO M7 Ultra has upgraded its chassis from FSD variable damping shock absorbers to CDC continuous variable damping shock absorbers. This allows the suspension to automatically adjust its firmness based on different usage scenarios.

Additionally, this configuration supports intelligent linkage between CDC and ADS previewing. For instance, on roads with curves or speed bumps, the combination of ADS 2.0 and CDC can anticipate upcoming bumps and adjust the chassis accordingly to reduce the sensation of jolts, thereby further optimizing the driving experience.

Regarding pricing and bonus, the official guide prices for the AITO M7 Ultra series are as follows: the five-seater rear-wheel-drive smart driving version is priced at 289,800 yuan, and the four-wheel-drive smart driving version at 309,800 yuan; the six-seater rear-wheel-drive smart driving version is priced at 309,800 yuan, and the four-wheel-drive smart driving version at 329,800 yuan.

The first batch of customers who place an order by 23:59:59 on June 30 can enjoy purchase benefits worth up to 35,000 yuan. These benefits include 3,000 yuan in cash, 12,000 yuan in optional equipment, and 20,000 yuan in ADS advanced feature package subsidies.

The 2ND Battlefield: ADS 3.0

At the conference, executives appeared very optimistic about the prospects of the AITO M7 Ultra.

Seres President He Liyang publicly stated, "The AITO M7 Ultra will deliver 4,000 units in the first week of June and 20,000 units for the entire month."

Richard Yu also predicted that after the release of the AITO M7 Ultra, total sales for the entire AITO series in June could exceed 40,000 units.

While consumers are joyfully enjoying the ADS 2.0 advanced smart driving system, HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility has quietly commenced the development of the next generation ADS. Richard Yu revealed that the Enjoy S9, co-developed by Huawei and BAIC, has officially started pre-sales, priced between 450,000 and 550,000 yuan, and is set to launch in August this year.

The Enjoy S9 is reported to be HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility's first executive-class luxury flagship sedan, with body dimensions of 5160×1987×1486mm and a wheelbase of 3050mm. It will debut with Huawei's ADS 3.0 advanced smart driving system.

The ADS 3.0 system, released in April this year, supports navigation from parking space to parking space (NCA), allowing vehicles to reach any parking space and route via navigation. Additionally, it includes features like "valet parking" and "valet charging," enabling the vehicle to autonomously find charging stations and return to parking spaces after charging.

Value Prioritized Amid Price Wars

Addressing the ongoing price war in the automotive industry, Richard Yu believes that automotive brands should focus on "competing in value" rather than just "competing in price." He suggests that some companies in the industry are adept at competing on price, while HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility aims to bring greater value to the industry through value competition, achieving a win-win situation with partners.

"In the realm of smart electric connected vehicles, the world's 'No.1' competitor in price is BYD, due to its ultra-low-cost capabilities. However, we are not skilled in competing on ultra-low prices. We excel at competing in value, intelligence, luxury, comfort, and safety," he said.

Additionally, during the press conference, Richard Yu publicly responded for the first time to the recent high-speed car accident involving the Aito M7 Plus in Yuncheng, Shanxi. He demonstrated via video how external personnel could mechanically open the car door if the hidden door handle fails to deploy automatically during extreme accidents. He emphasized, "Even the most advanced smart driving cannot guarantee 100% safety; everyone must avoid using the car in extreme situations."

Regarding Tesla's FSD entering China, Richard Yu stated that while Tesla's FSD solution does not rely on high-precision maps, Huawei's solution is safer. He mentioned that Huawei's team tested in cities like San Francisco and Toronto, and based on the results, Huawei is confident in outperforming Tesla's FSD.