China’s SAIC, Huawei to partner in developing new smart EVs

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BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese automaker SAIC Motor said on Friday it would partner with tech company Huawei to develop new “globally competitive” smart electric vehicles.

The tie-up sees yet another state-owned automaker betting on partnerships with Huawei, which has risen to prominence as a supplier of smart driving technologies, to boost EV sales.

“The strategic cooperation between SAIC and Huawei will further leverage their respective advantages and promote China’s automotive industry to a new level in the intelligent era,” SAIC said in the statement.

The deal signed on Friday provides for the two companies to cooperate strategically on manufacturing, supply chain management and sales services, SAIC said in a statement, without revealing the marquee of the co-developed lineup.

The state-owned automaker reported a decline of 20% last year in overall vehicle sales, amid a brutal price war and bruising competition in the world’s largest auto market.

Its venture with Volkswagen saw sales down 5.5% while SAIC-GM’s sales slumped 56.5%.

SAIC, hit with the EU’s steepest extra tariffs of 35.3%, also suffered a slide of 14% in overseas shipments in 2024.

The deal adds to Huawei’s expanding partnerships with state-owned automakers such as Changan, Dongfeng and BAIC Motor.

Changan set up a joint venture with Huawei and battery maker CATL in 2022 to make Avatr EVs, the sales of which more than doubled in 2024 on the year.

Dongfeng-backed Seres more than tripled its annual sales of Aito-branded cars in 2024, with the best-selling models equipped with Huawei’s advanced driver assistance systems and sold in the tech firm’s showrooms nationwide.

Huawei and BAIC launched their first EV under the joint brand Stelato in August.

(Reporting by Qiaoyi Li, Zhang Yan and Liz Lee; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Clarence Fernandez)