The Huawei Maextro S800, launched in May with pricing in China starting at 708,000 yuan (approximately $97,000) and rising to 1.02 million yuan (approximately $140,000) depending on configuration, has become the best-selling vehicle in China’s ultra-luxury segment for vehicles priced at $100,000 or above. According to data compiled by ECC Intelligence, the Maextro overtook all competitors in that price bracket in September, maintaining its lead through the most recently reported month.
For comparison, the Porsche Panamera starts at approximately 1.1 million yuan (roughly $151,000) in China.
For American readers more familiar with Huawei as a smartphone and telecommunications company, the idea of the company dominating the luxury car market might seem unexpected. But Huawei has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in China’s automotive industry over the past few years.
The company doesn’t actually manufacture vehicles itself. Instead, Huawei partners with established Chinese automakers, providing technology like driver-assistance software, infotainment systems, and its retail network while the partner handles production. For the Maextro S800, that partner is Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp (JAC), which builds the sedan at its factory in the eastern city of Hefei.
This isn’t Huawei’s first automotive success. The Aito M9 SUV, another Huawei-powered vehicle, became China’s best-selling luxury vehicle among those priced 500,000 yuan or above (roughly $69,000+) within six months of its late 2023 launch. The Maextro, however, represents something new: a Chinese brand successfully competing in the ultra-luxury segment that European marques had long considered their stronghold.
Reported luxury and technology features on the Maextro S800 include crystal seat-adjustment buttons, a starry night-sky headliner using more than 680 optical fibers, a triple-screen dashboard integrating navigation and entertainment controls, a 40-inch rear projector for back-seat passengers, more than 30 sensors enabling advanced driver-assistance features, and automatic doors that open as passengers approach.
“Maextro S800 is the first time that a Chinese brand has managed to get a foothold in the one million yuan ultra-luxury segment,” Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, told state broadcaster CCTV in a program aired December 9. “We’re in the intelligence and electrification era and we’re leading through smarter technologies and innovation.”
For years, even as Chinese automakers captured the mainstream and premium EV markets, the ultra-luxury segment remained dominated by European brands. Buyers spending $100,000 or more on a vehicle wanted the heritage, prestige, and craftsmanship that only names like Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce could provide.
The Maextro’s success challenges that assumption.
“The changing demands of Chinese customers and growing pride in domestic brands have upended the luxury market,” said Zhu Yulong, founder of consultancy Zhineng Auto.
Other Chinese brands have attempted to crack the ultra-luxury market with limited success. BYD’s Yangwang sub-brand has produced vehicles like the U8 SUV with sticker prices exceeding one million yuan, but sales never approached those of established European players. Huawei succeeded where others struggled by combining technological innovation with attention to detail that luxury buyers expect.
The Maextro’s rise comes amid a broader decline in German luxury brand dominance in China. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi continue to lose market share as they struggle to match Chinese competitors on both price and technological advancement. The speed of innovation in China’s automotive industry has outpaced what traditional European development cycles can deliver.
Audi’s China-only E5 Sportback illustrates how European brands are now adapting locally. The vehicle, designed and engineered in China to compete with domestic rivals, isn’t available in Europe.
Not everyone is convinced the Maextro’s dominance will last. Building premium vehicles requires enormous ongoing investment in quality, technology, and brand development.
“It’s a sign of nationalist pride and also the premiumisation of Chinese brands is a big trend,” said Zhu of Zhineng Auto. “But how long can this last? We still need to keep watch.”
Current trade restrictions and tariffs mean American consumers do not have access to vehicles like the Huawei Maextro S800. The combination of U.S. restrictions on Huawei, tariffs on Chinese vehicles, and the lack of any American distribution network makes that effectively impossible.
However, the Maextro’s success demonstrates that Chinese automotive technology has reached competitive levels across every segment, including ultra-luxury. Brands that seemed unassailable just a few years ago are now fighting for market share in the world’s largest car market. The Maextro S800 represents a shift in how the global automotive landscape is evolving, with technology companies and Chinese manufacturers increasingly competing at the highest levels.
Huawei has not announced plans to sell the Maextro S800 outside China.
