The latest electric car model from the Chinese tech giant Huawei, named Stelato X4, has recently been unveiled on the streets of China. This marks the third electric car brand introduced by Huawei in collaboration with the domestic car manufacturer BAIC, following the consecutive announcements of the Luxeed (in partnership with Chery) and Aito (in collaboration with the automaker Seres, a part of the Dongfeng group).
After revealing the Luxeed S7 and Aito M9, the tech conglomerate Huawei disclosed another electric car brand—Stelato. This is a joint project between Huawei and the domestic automobile manufacturer BAIC.
The latest electric car model, the Stelato X4, is currently undergoing road tests in China. According to images shared on the social media platform Weibo, this is a mid-sized sedan with a design language similar to the recently launched Luxeed S7 and Aito M9 models.
In terms of exterior features, the Stelato X4 uses compact headlights with slim LED strips, while the rear lights are larger and connected by an extended LED strip running across the car’s tail. To add some design flair, the manufacturer has incorporated a large central air intake in the front bumper.
Instead of traditional rearview mirrors, this electric sedan utilizes side cameras. This camera-based mirror type has become a new design trend in recent years and has been seen in modern cars such as the Honda E, Koenigsegg Gemera, McLaren Speedtail, and Audi e-tron. The door handles are hidden within the body of the car, similar to many current electric car models. Additionally, the car is equipped with LiDAR sensors on the roof. These sensors use infrared rays to scan the surrounding space and create a 3D image—an important technology for self-driving cars.
The car’s multi-spoke wheels are designed flat to optimize aerodynamics and improve its aerodynamic performance.
Inside the cabin, the Stelato X4 adopts a similar design style to the Luxeed S7, featuring a small three-spoke steering wheel with controls mounted behind it. The central control panel has a large-sized screen. The central control console integrates two wireless phone charging pads and a storage compartment. The conventional door handle is replaced by a more modern touch button. Furthermore, the A-pillar position includes a Face-ID sensor—a feature for unlocking the car without a key, using biometric sensors for facial recognition. Over the past two years, this technology has been under research by some car manufacturers for implementation.
The car’s instrument cluster is positioned behind the steering wheel, closer to the windshield. Thus, it’s likely that the car won’t feature an AR-HUD (Augmented Reality-Head-Up Display) on the windshield. This detail might come as a surprise because Huawei currently manufactures AR-HUD watches, offering a virtual image of 75 inches with a brightness of 12,000 nits.
Presently, specific details regarding the Stelato X4’s operating system have not been revealed. However, observers believe that this model will feature a similar drivetrain to the Luxeed S7 introduced by Huawei in collaboration with Chery in November 2023. The Luxeed S7 comes with a 4WD all-time drive system and a 365 kW power engine.
According to Huawei’s plan, the Stelato X4 will be launched in the Chinese market in Q1 of 2024, with an expected price range of 300,000 to 400,000 Chinese yuan.
Huawei commenced its collaboration with BAIC to produce electric cars in 2019. The car manufacturer and the phone company previously launched the smart electric vehicle Arcfox aS HI in 2022. This partnership is one of four automobile manufacturing partners Huawei collaborates with to develop new electric car brands (Seres, Chery, BAIC BJEV, and JAC).
Within this collaboration, Huawei worked with Seres (a Dongfeng subsidiary) to create the Aito car brand with three introduced crossover models—Aito M5, Aito M7, and Aito M9. Subsequently, Huawei partnered with Chery to produce the Luxeed electric car brand, introducing the Luxeed S7 in November 2023. Currently, BAIC, Huawei’s third automotive partner, is producing the Stelato electric car and simultaneously manufacturing the Xiaomi SU7 model for Xiaomi, the phone company.
Huawei previously surpassed Apple to become the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer in 2020. However, this position was lost due to US sanctions. In 2023, Huawei experienced significant growth and regained its position as the fifth-largest telecommunications and network equipment manufacturer worldwide.
