Huawei claims it loses up to $4000 on each Aito M7 as vision-based ADS Pro version is launched

On August 26, the Aito M7 Pro launched, Aito a brand partnership between Huawei and Seres. The main difference between the Pro and the existing Ultra version is that the Pro uses a vision-based assisted driving system so, eliminating the Lidar unit and being cheaper. There are four configurations of the Aito M7 priced between 249,800 and 289,800 yen (35,100 – 40,700 USD) they are as follows:

The biggest difference between the Pro and Ultra versions is that the former uses the basic version of Huawei Qiankun 3.0 ADS. This provides NCA on highways and urban expressways but not in urban areas. In such areas, it does support LCC and LCC+ functions, thereby giving lane-keeping and traffic light recognition. Parking assistance is available for more than 160 types of parking spaces, and the recognition rate and parking success rate are claimed to be 99.9%. Furthermore, the AEB functions are reduced. Forward AEB is supported between speeds of 4-130 km/h instead of up to 150 km/h for the Lidar-based version – full braking is only available at up to 110 km/h.  Similarly, the rear AEB function is only available between 4- 15 km/h versus 1- 60 km/h for the high-end version.

A suite of sensors supports the ADS system. These consist of three millimeter-wavelength radars, 10 high-definition camera groups, and 12 ultrasonic sensors. Richard Yu (Yu Chengdong), chairman of Huawei’s smart car unit, said that the basic version of the ADS intelligent driving system uses the same source architecture as the high-end version. The only areas where it is weaker are its ability to deal with complex weather, night, and various other difficult situations.

Richard Yu also claimed Aito makes a loss of 20,000 to 30,000 yuan (2,800 – 4,200 USD) when selling each M7, partly due to the solid materials used in the car. The car has an all-aluminium alloy chassis and uses 2000 mega Pascal ultra-high-strength steel.

Dimensions of the M7 Pro are exactly the same as the Ultra with 5020, 1945, 1760 mm (l/w/h), and a wheelbase of 2820 mm. The car is positioned as a medium to large SUV and comes in both five and six-seater versions. Other than losing the roof-mounted Lidar unit externally, the Pro is the same as the Ultra version. It has seven-spoke 20-inch wheels as standard with an option to upgrade to 10-spoke 21-inch wheels. Buyers have a choice between interstellar blue, guilt black, space gray, azure blue, and ice crystal silver for exterior colors.

Inside, buyers can choose between apricot, amber brown, and red tea orange color schemes. There is a 10.25-inch curved full LCD instrument cluster and a 15.6-inch 2K infotainment screen. Other equipment includes a 50W dual wireless phone charging pad and a Huawei Sound system. All versions have seats wrapped with Nappa leather and first and second-row seats equipped with heating and ventilation. For the six-seater version, the first and second rows also gain a massage function.

The powertrain is unchanged from the Ultra version, and the M7 (see specs) is a range extender using a 1.5T to provide the range extension, giving a maximum power of 112 kW. Power to the wheels comes from electric motors, with both single and dual-motor versions available. All versions use a rear-mounted 200 kW electric motor, and the dual-motor version adds a 130 kW motor to the front axle. It comes with a 38.5 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, giving a CLTC all-electric range of 200 km and a combined range of either 1240 or 1290 km, depending on specification. The car comes with CDC continuously variable damping with three adjustable modes to improve the ride.

Sources: Fast Technology, Autohome, Fast Technology