(Yicai) Dec. 27 -- Aito, an electric car collaboration between China’s Huawei Technologies and carmaker Seres Group, has debuted the Aito M9, its most expensive sports utility vehicle to date.

At a launch event yesterday, Huawei auto business chief Richard Yu unveiled the flagship SUV, which is priced at CNY469,800 to CNY569,800 (USD65,850 to USD79,770). Orders have already exceeded 54,000 and deliveries are due to start on Feb. 26, he added.

The large-sized SUV has a length of 5,230 millimeters, a width of 1,999 mm, a height of 1,800 mm, and a wheelbase of 3,110 mm, putting it close to Li Auto's L9 and BMW's X7. The extended-range version can travel up to 1,402 kilometers, including 275 km on battery, while the all-electric edition has a 603 km range.

Both versions have a ternary lithium battery of 97.7 kilowatt-hours made by Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology. It is based on an 800 high-voltage architecture, with a range of 150 km after five minutes of charging and 630 km under China Light Vehicle Test Cycle standards. 

The Aito M9 also has a smart headlight solution, smart chassis, and augmented reality-based heads-up display system, all developed by Shenzhen-based Huawei, as well as 27 sensors for high-level intelligent driving.

“The Aito M9 will not only be the best SUV with a selling price under CNY10 million (USD1.4 million) but also the strongest SUV that can be seen on the road,” Yu said previously. 

Huawei and Seres joined hands on the Aito brand in 2021 under the Huawei Smart Selection business model, with the tech giant deeply involved in the development and sales of vehicles while the Chongqing-based carmaker building the M5, M7, and M9 at its three new energy vehicle plants in its home city.

Orders for the M7 surpassed 120,000 three months after its launch, while 18,827 vehicles from the Aito series were delivered last month. 

Editor: Martin Kadiev