While many thought Huawei was stepping back from the automobile business when it announced talks of selling 40% of its smart car firm, a recent report about its plans for storefront operations shows that Huawei is in it for the long haul in the EV market.
According to sources from popular tech news outlet PowerOn, documents obtained from Huawei show that they are planning on building hundreds of new stores in 2024 to reach around 800 in 2024 and 1000 total stores in 2025. In addition to sales, the Hongmeng Zhixing storefronts (English name is HIMA for Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance) will also provide delivery, maintenance, and other customer-related services.
As far back as 2021 Huawei has been working closely with partners and other automakers to take a greater part in the fast-growing auto market in China. However, with the news of its aim to open hundreds of vehicle-focused storefronts, it’s clear that Huawei wants a bigger piece of the pie.
With partner brands Seres, BAIC Chery, Changan, and JAC Motors working with Huawei, the storefronts should have no problem filling up with models for sale and display. Walking around various malls and busy shopping districts around China consumers often see popular car storefronts for brands such as Nio, Xpeng, or Li, but usually those stores are not very large. It is reported that one of the main problems Huawei is facing is choosing storefronts large enough to showcase their popular models and provide services. Since the aim of the storefronts is to not just showcase the vehicles but also provide customer-related services this problem will not be easily overcome.
Huawei’s best-selling vehicle the Aito M7 manufactured by Seres, along with Arcfox and Avatr branded vehicles is already for sale in Huawei flagship stores in China. As for the new HIMA storefronts, what we can guess is that the popular Luxeed S7 or the soon-to-be-released Model Y competitor the S9 may find their way to the front window of these new stores as well.
Sources: PowerOn
