The Chinese car manufacturer GAC Group and tech giant Huawei have officially announced they are working on a joint project to develop a “smart SUV”, aiming to hit the market with mass production by the end of 2023. The SUV will be the first joint product of the two enterprises.
Incorporated in June 1997, GAC is a car manufacturer, now focusing its attention on the future of electric and autonomous vehicles. Last year it exported more than 35,000 vehicles to the overseas market and exceeded two million total vehicles produced and sold in its lifetime.
A medium-to-large-sized, pure electric SUV, GAC Group says the “vision behind the car is one of futuristic, powerful and efficient technology, that will bring exciting new energy capabilities and Level 4 autonomous driving to buyers”. A level 4 autonomous vehicle would surpass the current most advanced names such as Tesla that are on level 3, meaning the vehicle wouldn’t require any human interaction to drive.
The overall aim of the strategic cooperation of the companies is to build a new generation of intelligent vehicles and digital platforms. The current SUV and future models will use GAC’s GEP.30 chassis platform and Huawei’s CCA (Computing and Communication Architecture), as well as carrying Huawei’s full-stack of intelligent vehicle solutions.
Since signing a strategic cooperation agreement in 2017, GAC and Huawei have worked together in the fields of intelligent connected electric vehicle technology. In September 2020 in Guangzhou, the two firms signed an agreement to further deepen cooperation, with a focus on computing and communication architecture in accordance with the development trend towards software-heavy vehicles.
Last year, GAC exceeded two million total vehicles, like the one pictured, produced and sold in its lifetime. Image: GAC Group.
In the last few years, GAC has seen success in realising vehicle electrification and in various areas of new energy technology. The company has invested billions of yuan into research and development, including into its GAC R&D centres located across the world.
With new technologies, new processes and new materials, as well as the use of intelligent manufacturing and improved production capacity, GAC and Huawei aim to produce eight models and multiple series of “cutting-edge electric vehicles, that provide a new driving experience at ever lower costs”. Separately, GAC MOTOR also aims to produce an entirely electrified lineup of vehicles by 2025.
The company concluded that its rapid growth in the electric vehicle market “demonstrates a new demand in the automobile market for intelligent cars, and for Chinese craftsmanship”.
You can find more information about the joint development of the autonomous SUV between GAC Group and Huawei on their respective websites.
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