GAC Group and Huawei have officially announced the launch of Qijing, their new premium electric vehicle brand. Qijing, which translates to “Enlightened Realm,” isn’t just another badge added to the crowded EV market in China. GAC has set up a completely independent company to handle Qijing and is dedicating its top resources to ensure the new brand stands out.
Huawei is not just a software vendor in this partnership. The tech giant is sending its top engineers to work on the project, and every Qijing vehicle will come loaded with Huawei’s best intelligent driving and cockpit tech, called Qiankun. We are seeing many tech giants taking baby steps in to the auto industry, but this move clearly has put Huawei ahead of the pack.
Historically, Huawei’s collaborations work in three main ways – sometimes the company is just a supplier, sometimes it provides its entire smart vehicle platform, and in other cases, Huawei takes a direct role in vehicle design and sales, which has resulted in brands like Aito, Luxeed, and Stelato.
With Qijing, the approach is new. GAC will lead the show, using Huawei’s latest technology but keeping strong control over brand and design decisions. This allows GAC to take advantage of Huawei’s innovations without losing its own identity. This isn’t the first time GAC and Huawei have teamed up. Back in 2021, they announced plans to co-develop electric cars with advanced self-driving features, but that plan was paused. They renewed their partnership in late 2024, and now, in 2025, Qijing is officially out in the open. The project started with a registered capital of RMB 1.5 billion, which is about $210 million.
Customers will have to wait a bit longer to see an actual Qijing car on the road. Sources say the debut model isn’t expected until 2026.
