Huawei Aito M9 Debuts in China with Both EV & REEV Versions

The Huawei-backed Aito M9 debuts in China, featuring both standard and range-extender EV versions

Chinese tech giant Huawei has revealed its latest flagship SUV today in China, cordially known as the Aito M9. For those who aren’t familiar with Aito, this new EV marque is borne out of Huawei’s collaboration with Seres, with the latter being responsible for vehicle production and manufacturing, while Huawei is in-charge of supplying the car’s major parts and software.

Visually, the M9 boasts some familiar design cues that we’ve seen on the Luxeed S7 – a sleek EV saloon borne out of Huawei’s partnership with Chinese automaker Chery. Featuring a clean, elongated body style with rounded edges, the M9 full-size SUV sports triangular-shaped adaptive LED matrix headlights with a full-width light bar connecting the pair, LED taillights with pixelated signatures, and a full panoramic glass roof.

Aside from the massive 22-inch optional multi-spoke wheels this EV SUV rides on, the M9’s side part also features flushed door handles, as well as the ‘HIMA’ logo on its D-pillars. Stands for Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, this initiative was helmed by Huawei with several automakers like Luxeed (Chery), BAIC Motor, JAC Motor, and of course, Aito.

The M9 comes strictly in a three-row, six-seater layout, with a 2-2-2 seating configuration

Thanks to its large footprint, the Aito M9 boasts a three-row, six-seater layout with a 2-2-2 configuration, with all of them featuring both heated and ventilated functions while being wrapped in plush Nappa leather upholstery. The two mid-row seats support full-reclining functions, while the front passenger unit comes with a built-in ottoman support. Massage functions, on the other hand, are only reserved for the two front seats.

Aside from the plush seats, other comfort amenities like three-zone climate control, a N95 cabin filter with PM2.5 air quality monitoring, a 25-speaker, 2080-watt premium audio system, a massive 32-inch retractable screen, and dedicated infotainment displays for all four rear passengers are all present inside the M9.

Being developed by a globally-renowned tech giant, the M9’s cabin is nothing short of tech-laden, with the front dash featuring no less than three screens – a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch central infotainment display, and a 16-inch unit dedicated to the front passenger – all powered by Huawei’s Harmony OS4. Drivers, meanwhile, get a massive 75-inch head-up display with augmented reality functionality that can project driving aids and much more.

Thanks to its built-in projector, the M9 is essentially a giant, drivable movie theatre!

Screens aside, the M9’s adaptive LED matrix headlights feature an integrated projector that can display images or graphics at up to 100-inch in size, allowing you to transform this EV into a mobile giant projector.

The M9 comes in both standard EV and a range-extender EV (REEV) versions

On the powertrain front, the Huawei Aito M9 is offered in two versions in China, one being the standard EV model, while the other is a range-extender EV (REEV) version, which features a small ICE as part of its powertrain setup. For the former version, the M9 is powered by a dual-motor AWD setup rated at 523 HP (390 kW) and 673 NM, which is good enough to drive this big EV SUV from nought to 100 KM/H in just 4.3 seconds and a limited V-max of 200 KM/H.

Meanwhile, the REEV variant houses a 1.5-litre 4-cyl petrol mill that acts as a generator for its 42/52-kWh ternary battery pack, which in turn juices its dual-motor AWD setup rated at 489 HP (365 kW) and 675 NM. This setup grants the M9 REEV a slower century sprint time of 4.9 seconds compared to the EV version and the same 200 KM/H V-max.

On the range front, the M9 REEV’s 42-kWh battery pack is good for up to 1,210 KM of max WLTC range, while the bigger 52-kWh unit boasts a longer 1,239 KM max WLTC range. On the other hand, the M9 EV’s 100-kWh ternary lithium unit grants it a decent CLTC-rated max range of 630 KM. While both variants support AC charging at 11 kW, the EV model’s pack can be charged from 30% to 80% in just 15 minutes, while the REEV model gets from 20% to 80% in 30 minutes, with no mention of the exact DCFC rates for both models.

Now open for bookings in China, the all-new Huawei Aito M9 EV starts at CNY 469,800 (RM305,650) for the base REEV Max variant, while the baseline EV variant starts higher at CNY 509,800 (RM331,674). Similar to the many barrages of EVs launched in the Great Wall market recently, there’s no mention of any plans to export the M9 into other international markets, at least for now.