- The new Aito M8 starts at 379,800 yuan ($56,560), with extended-range and battery-electric powertrain options.
- All variants switch to an 800V platform and come standard with Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5 driver assistance system, with battery-electric versions offering a CLTC range of up to 830 kilometers.
Aito, the brand jointly developed by Huawei and Seres (HKEX: 9927), officially launched the updated M8 on Friday, upgrading the large SUV's driver assistance, powertrain and chassis systems.
The model marks Aito's first major vehicle launch since Seres took the lead in running the brand. Richard Yu, Huawei's executive director and chairman of its consumer business group, said at today's event that Aito, the first brand in the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), is about to enter a new phase of cooperation.
Huawei will continue to lead core technology, product definition and product design, while Seres will lead vehicle manufacturing, engineering development and implementation, marketing, sales and service, as well as upgrades and maintenance, Yu said.
The new M8 has a list price range of 379,800 yuan ($56,560) to 469,800 yuan, with 10 variants across 3 trim levels: Max, Max+ and Ultra. It offers extended-range and battery-electric powertrains, as well as 5-seat and 6-seat layouts.
The starting price is 10,000 yuan below the pre-sales price of 389,800 yuan announced on September 30, but 20,000 yuan above the outgoing model's starting price of 359,800 yuan.
The 6 extended-range variants are priced from 379,800 yuan to 469,800 yuan. The battery-electric version offers 4 variants in Max+ and Ultra trims, priced from 399,800 yuan to 469,800 yuan. By comparison, the outgoing M8 offered 6 variants for each powertrain.
Customers placing orders during the initial sales period can receive purchase benefits worth up to 35,000 yuan, Aito said.
The vehicle's dimensions remain unchanged at 5,190 mm long, 1,999 mm wide and 1,795 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3,105 mm. Its drag coefficient is 0.254.
All variants of the new M8 switch to an 800V high-voltage architecture and feature Huawei's Whale Battery Platform 3.0. Previously, only the battery-electric version used an 800V platform.
The extended-range version uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged range extender with a maximum output of 118 kW (158 hp). The rear-wheel-drive variant has a 227 kW motor, while the all-wheel-drive version has a combined motor output of 397 kW.
Battery options are 75.4 kWh and 56 kWh, delivering a CLTC battery-only range of up to 432 kilometers (268 miles) and a combined range of up to 1,435 kilometers.
The battery-electric version has a 227 kW motor in rear-wheel-drive form and a combined output of 387 kW with all-wheel drive. It offers 120 kWh and 100 kWh battery options, with a CLTC range of up to 830 kilometers. The outgoing battery-electric model came standard with a 100 kWh battery and offered a CLTC range of 705 kilometers.
Aito positions the new M8 as a flagship smart SUV for families, saying it invested 1.5 billion yuan in research and development and incorporated 126 technological innovations.
The launch comes about 19 months after the original model went on sale and represents a substantial update.
Driver assistance is central to the overhaul. All variants come standard with Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5, built on an architecture designed for Level 3 autonomous driving and equipped with a new generation of omnidirectional sensor fusion technology.
The vehicle has 38 sensors, including 4 LiDAR units: an 896-channel unit on the roof, 2 side-facing solid-state units and 1 rear-facing solid-state unit. It also has 5 4D millimeter-wave radars, 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and 6 exterior microphones.
Aito said the upgraded WEWA 2.0 architecture improves overall safety for its Navigation Cruise Assist (NCA) system by 50%, while improving travel efficiency and ride comfort by 30%. The new model also supports urban driving assistance without a navigation route and a parking-space-to-parking-space 3.0 function.
Certain exterior and interior colors cost an additional 8,000 yuan. Options include a 21-inch soft-light rear entertainment screen for 10,000 yuan, rear-wheel steering for 20,000 yuan and smart power doors for 15,000 yuan. All are standard on Ultra variants.
The launch follows changes to Aito's operating model. HIMA announced on September 15 that Seres would take the lead in Aito's product definition, design, marketing, retail and service, with Huawei providing support.
Huawei and Seres subsequently signed a new 5-year cooperation agreement on September 30, announcing plans to jointly establish a dedicated Aito team. Both companies stressed that the new M8 was jointly designed and developed by Seres and Huawei, and that Aito remains a HIMA member.
The M8, one of Aito's core models, launched in April 2025, initially with only an extended-range powertrain. The battery-electric version followed in August that year.
Ahead of the update, M8 deliveries fell 95.88% year-on-year to 720 vehicles in October. Deliveries totaled 37,570 vehicles from January through October, according to data compiled by CnEVPost.
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