GAC, Huawei's new NEV brand Qijing finalizes first model design

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On October 16, Liu Jiaming, CEO of Qijing Auto, announced via his Weibo account that the first model under the newly established joint brand between GAC Group and Huawei—Qijing—has completed its final design review, marking the project's transition into the production preparation stage.

Liu revealed that nearly 100 designers from Huawei's Milan Aesthetics Research Institute and Qijing's in-house team collaborated on the model's styling. After eight months of intensive development, the team has locked in the final design of the debut vehicle, which Liu described as a major milestone. The model, he noted, has been well received internally by both young employees and Huawei executives, including those with extensive experience across the automotive sector.

The Qijing brand was officially announced in November 2024 when GAC and Huawei signed an expanded cooperation agreement in Guangzhou, committing to jointly develop a premium intelligent NEV marque targeting China's 300,000-yuan-and-above market segment.

The collaboration represents a structural shift in how automakers and tech firms work together. Instead of the traditional split between manufacturing and technology supply, Huawei and GAC have adopted a "built-in collaboration" model. Teams from Huawei's product, marketing, and finance divisions now co-locate with GAC personnel to integrate operations. GAC has also implemented Huawei's IPD (Integrated Product Development) and IPMS (Integrated Product Marketing and Sales) systems, enabling real-time coordination between the "technology side" and the "manufacturing side" — effectively eliminating communication lags from product conception to market launch.

According to the development roadmap, Qijing's first production model is scheduled to roll off the line in 2026, with three models planned by 2028 and an annual production capacity expected to reach 150,000 units. The brand will adopt a hybrid "direct sales plus authorized distribution" model, leveraging GAC AION's existing network of over 600 stores and selected Huawei retail locations for pilot sales. The first urban showrooms are set to open in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, with additional sites in Chengdu and Hangzhou around the Chinese New Year holiday in 2026.