Huawei-backed Maextro weighs new SUV sub-brand priced below flagship models

• The sub-brand and the Maserati collaboration are separate projects, with details of the sub-brand yet to be finalized.
• Models under the new sub-brand could be priced at around 400,000 yuan ($59,500) to 500,000 yuan.

Maextro, jointly developed by Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp (JAC), may launch a new SUV-focused sub-brand to further expand its product lineup.

Models under the new sub-brand could be priced at around 400,000 yuan ($59,500) to 500,000 yuan, Cailian reported on Monday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The sub-brand and the Maserati collaboration are 2 separate projects, and specific details of the sub-brand have yet to be finalized, the person said.

Maextro is the most upmarket brand under Huawei's HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance). Its previous launches include the S800 sedan and 2 range-extended MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles), the V680 and V800.

The V680 and V800 were launched on August 5, with starting prices at launch of 648,000 yuan and 766,000 yuan, respectively.

The Maextro S800 was launched in May 2025 and is currently priced from 728,000 yuan to 1,018,000 yuan.

If launched within the reported price range, even the new sub-brand's upper price limit would be below the V680's starting price at launch, extending Maextro's reach into a lower price segment.

Cailian also cited earlier market rumors that a collaboration between Maserati parent Stellantis, Huawei and JAC was nearing a deal, with plans for 2 new battery-electric models to be built at the Maextro factory.

Local media outlet Yunjian Insight reported in May that Huawei, JAC, Stellantis and the European automaker's Maserati brand were in talks to jointly develop Maserati-branded new energy vehicles (NEVs).

The collaboration would follow a model similar to that used by the 5 brands under Huawei's HIMA business, with the first model expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2027, according to that report.

JAC confirmed in a September 30 filing that it had discussed potential cooperation with Huawei and Stellantis, but neither the scope nor the structure of the collaboration had been determined at the time.

No legally binding definitive agreement had been signed as of that filing, and further progress on the potential collaboration remained subject to significant uncertainty, JAC said.