On 22 September, Dongfeng Motor’s general manager Feng Changjun travelled to Shenzhen to meet Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei and senior Huawei representatives. The two sides traded views on strategic joint models, including the Yijing X9, the Mengshi X700 and the Voyah Dreamer 9, and discussed deepening cooperation on future product definition, smart-technology deployment and marketing.
Ren told the Dongfeng team that the carmaker “has a very good foundation in vehicle manufacturing and should make the most of it.” Huawei, he said, does not build cars, but is glad to use its strength in intelligence to help Dongfeng build good ones. He also handed over materials and case studies urging Dongfeng to improve its customer service and warmth toward buyers.
Dongfeng made clear its stance: the strategic partnership with Huawei will keep deepening, with the shared goal of building smart vehicles and mobility solutions for the future. Notably, after Huawei adjusted its cooperation model with Seres on 15 September, Feng is the first carmaker executive to publicly travel to Shenzhen to see Ren.
Four Others Responded in Days
The meeting set off a round of statements from Huawei’s other partners. JAC said it would “firmly build good cars with Huawei and its supply-chain partners,” and that its investment in the ultra-premium Zhunjie range would not stop. The comment moved the market: on 22 September JAC Auto shares surged to the daily limit, closing at 21.32 yuan, up 10.01 per cent, lifting its market value back to 48.06 billion yuan.
BAIC BluePark said its cooperation on the Xiangjie brand is unchanged and that an independent sales channel has already opened, with Harmony Intelligence Xiangjie stores entering operation this year. SAIC said it will deepen coordination on the Shangjie brand with Huawei and put more resources behind it. Voyah struck a different note: its chief brand officer Shao Mingfeng called the best model a “strong-strong combination, harmonious yet different,” pointing to Huawei Qiankun assisted driving working alongside Voyah’s manufacturing as the proof.
The pattern is consistent. Even where some carmakers renegotiate the terms, the impulse to bind themselves to Huawei’s smart-driving and cockpit stack has not reversed.
Editor’s note: This is an adapted translation of the original Chedongxi report. It has been trimmed and restructured for readability for an international business audience. The full original (in Chinese) is at https://chedongxi.com/p/376738.html.