Great Wall Motor is reportedly in advanced discussions with Huawei to integrate the tech giant’s driver assistance and smart cockpit solutions into its Tank brand, according to Chinese media outlet 36kr. The move would make Great Wall Motor the latest Chinese automaker to partner with Huawei, following BYD’s adoption of similar technology earlier this year.
The first model to feature Huawei’s smart driving system will reportedly be the Tank 700 Hi4-T, a premium hybrid off-road SUV introduced in February. With a starting price of RMB 428,000 ($59,120), the model already incorporates Huawei’s HiCar cockpit system.
“Great Wall Motor has prioritized smart driving as a key strategic focus,” said Wei Jianjun, chairman of Great Wall Motor. The automaker has been investing in smart driving research and development for over a decade, including the establishment of an autonomous driving division, Haomo.AI Technology, in 2019. The division now supplies smart driving systems for numerous Great Wall Motor models.
The partnership with Huawei comes as Great Wall Motor seeks to compete with BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao brand, which launched the Bao 8 off-road SUV equipped with Huawei’s smart driving solution earlier this month. The Bao 8 starts at RMB 379,800, roughly 11% less than the Tank 700 Hi4-T, intensifying competition in the hybrid off-road SUV segment.
Great Wall Motor has also been enhancing its in-house capabilities. Its smart driving hardware and software team now exceeds 600 members, and its supercomputing center boasts a capacity of 3 EFLOPS (Exa Floating Point Operations Per Second). While this figure trails Huawei’s 7.5 EFLOPS and Li Auto’s 5.39 EFLOPS, the automaker is rapidly scaling up its resources.
If the partnership with Huawei materializes, it will represent a significant step for Great Wall Motor to strengthen its position in China’s growing smart driving market.
