Almost a month after Huawei executive Richard Yu (aka Yu Chengdong, 余承东), posted a cryptic message on his official Weibo social media account, it seems China is about to make waves in the competitive auto field of off-road SUVs.
On July 8, Yu posted an image of an SUV in Aoluguya, Inner Mongolia, with the vehicle’s roof raised to form a sloped sleeping compartment. The roof tent didn’t look like an attachment, either, but something built into the design.
Stelato
While I am far from the New Atlas car or camping expert – credit where credit is due, Aaron and CC – I do love a Chinese soft-launch like it’s no big deal.
What we know is this upcoming model is a version of the Stelato G9. Stelato itself takes a little to unpack, as it’s not really a standalone carmaker. It falls under the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) group, which is driven – no pun intended – by Huawei. Unlike Chinese peers such as Xpeng and Xiaomi, Huawei doesn’t make cars itself, but its HarmonyOS system essentially provides the brains for the body.
The HarmonyOS system basically provides all the “everything is computer” part of the car, and Huawei’s strong presence in retail spaces across China would have most casual observers (or maybe just me) thinking the tech company was also in the car business.
However, the Stelato G9 has been built by BAIC Group, aka Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, a major Chinese state-owned manufacturer. And yes, we’ll get to the car, but it’s important to understand that China has a healthy ecosystem of corporate collaboration, where specialists come together to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. This is very different to when corporations outsource (the case of Boeing being one of the most studied by researchers). And Huawei has been a key player in this “innovation ecosystem” when it comes to the auto industry in China.
Stelato
Anyway, we don’t yet know a whole lot about the Stelato G9, except that one optional trim features an integrated push-button rooftop tent that’s fitted into the body in the factory, not added on later.
According to Chinese media, the tent addition is part of the sunroof assembly, so when it’s not in use it appears to sit almost flush against the roofline of the SUV. A Huawei-patented mechanism appears to be the magic that lets drivers raise their sleeping quarters with the push of a button, with the sunroof incorporated into the tent architecture.
Yu also posted on Weibo that the roof tent also unlocks a side awning with the same single button press. But at this stage we have only his word on how this works because Huawei hasn’t shed any light on this pretty remarkable function.
Since Yu’s soft launch of the new vehicle to the Chinese public, Stelato has announced that the G9 will officially open for pre-orders from August 5. What we know so far is that this SUV sits firmly in the luxury class of off-road vehicles, and is a bit of a beast – more than 5.2 m (17 ft) long with a 3.16-m (10.4-ft) wheelbase.
And it signals a significant shift for Chinese carmakers and the local market, showcasing a flagship vehicle as an outdoor camping vehicle rather than highlighting standard luxury specs reflects the rapid growth of camping and nature tourism across China.
Stelato
Chinese regulatory filings suggest the G9 will come in both a fully electric version and an extended-range electric model, which uses a small gasoline engine as a generator to charge the battery and boost driving range. Similarly, reports have noted that people will have a choice between a five-seat layout and a six-seat setup that boasts individual captain’s chairs and more passenger-tailored ventilation. Huawei will supply the HarmonyOS, assisted autonomous driving system and LiDAR tech.
Pricing has yet to be announced, but Chinese reports have suggested the G9 to land somewhere in the US$74,000 ballpark.
Obviously, there are a lot of questions to be answered. However, what we do know is that after pre-orders open this week, the G9 is expected to go on sale in the next two months. Sadly, there are no plans for this sleek beast to be heading off-road outside of mainland China at this stage.
Source: CnEVpost
