Maextro's first model is expected to be launched in the first quarter of next year, with JAC currently hoping to build 38 test cars, according to local media.

Chinese tech giant Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC) have joined forces to create a new automotive brand named Maextro ("尊界 Zunjie" in Chinese) to target the ultra-luxury market.

Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's smart car solutions unit, mentioned this at yesterday's Stelato S9 launch event, saying the company will help automakers build cars and promote the upgrading of the smart car industry.

The Stelato S9 electric sedan, the first model of Stelato, a new brand jointly created by Huawei and Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC Group), was officially launched yesterday.

Maextro will be the fourth new brand built jointly by Huawei and a local carmaker, and will be the most highly positioned under Huawei's HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) umbrella. The other three brands Huawei has created with other car companies are Aito, which Huawei created with Seres Group; Luxeed, which it created with Chery; and Stelato.

Maextro's first model is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of next year, and JAC is currently looking to build 38 test cars, local media outlet Cailian said in a report today, citing people familiar with the matter.

Last month, JAC's chairman Xiang Xingchu said in a speech that the first product in cooperation with Huawei had entered the vehicle validation stage, and the first vehicle is expected to roll off the production line by the end of this year, with the official launch to take place in the first half of next year.

JAC has accelerated recruitment related to the Maextro program, with positions including quality system specialist, quality review specialist, product line quality specialist, and vehicle quality specialist, according to the Cailian report today.

JAC has accelerated hiring related to the Maextro project, with positions including quality systems specialist, quality review specialist, product line quality specialist, and vehicle quality specialist, according to the report.

These positions report to the program's chief quality officer, and the positions require more than eight years of experience related to high-end vehicle programs.

The new hires belong to the quality department, which currently employs about 100 people, and the department will next be upgraded to a 300-person-sized JAC quality management center, according to Cailian.

Last December 1, JAC announced that it and Huawei had reached an agreement to collaborate on product development, manufacturing, sales, and service based on Huawei's smart car solutions.

The goal of the two is to create luxury smart internet-connected electric vehicles that meet the higher needs and expectations of users, JAC said at the time.

The new brand's first model was previously rumored to be an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), but Yicai said in a January 31 report that the first model Huawei and JAC had been building together is not an MPV, but a sedan.

The sedan will be priced in the RMB 1 million ($139,300) range and will take on the BMW 7 Series, the report said.

($1 = RMB 7.1790)

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