Following the recent business‑model adjustment for the AITO M‑series vehicle business, market speculations have resurfaced regarding whether Huawei might launch its own brand of complete passenger cars. During a meeting in Shenzhen on September 22 with senior management from Dongfeng Motor, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei once again restated the firm’s long‑standing stance: Huawei will not build complete automobiles.
Feng Changjun, General Manager of Dongfeng Motor, led the delegation for in‑depth discussions on strategic collaboration and joint innovation for intelligent vehicles. The two sides reviewed product plans for several upcoming co‑developed models including the Yijing X9, Mengshi X700 and the Lantu Dreamer 9.
Zeng Qinglin, General Manager of Yijing Auto later shared Ren’s remarks on social media:
“Dongfeng possesses solid manufacturing heritage and industrial foundation. Huawei will not make cars on its own, but is ready to leverage its strengths in intelligent technologies to help Dongfeng build better vehicles.”
Ren also stressed that safety and quality shall remain the fundamental principles for vehicle development. Huawei intends to bring its accumulated ICT expertise into the partnership, jointly developing intelligent EVs that can stand the test of the marketplace.
This latest statement comes merely one week after Huawei announced the operational revamp for the AITO business, shifting primary operational responsibility over to its manufacturing partner while Huawei focuses purely on technology enablement.
Huawei has formalised its “no‑vehicle‑manufacturing” strategy via internal official documents on multiple occasions. Back in November 2020, Ren Zhengfei issued an internal resolution, warning that staff proposing for Huawei to produce whole vehicles would face job reassignment. The resolution was renewed for another five‑year term in March 2023, additionally prohibiting the “HUAWEI” brand logo to be applied on the exterior or promotional materials of partner‑built automobiles.
At present Huawei’s automotive‑related business adopts three distinct cooperation frameworks: component supply, the full‑stack HI (Huawei‑Inside) solution, and deep co‑creation under the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance. Its subsidiary Yinwang Intelligent Technology serves as the dedicated vehicle‑intelligence platform with shareholdings from several major automakers.
Industry commentators interpret the repeated public commitments as a clear signal: Huawei will refrain from heavy‑investment in vehicle manufacturing plants. It will position itself as a supplier of intelligent automotive incremental components and software solutions, concentrating R&D resources on autonomous driving and Harmony cockpit technologies, empowering the wider automotive industry via technology licensing.
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