Honda has chosen Chinese company Huawei, which is working on a 5G offering in Denmark, to supply the infotainment system for the brand's future cars in China.
Despite several scandals – including cheating with the 5G offer in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and England, Honda has chosen to enter into a collaboration with Chinese Huawei.
The partnership means that the Chinese technology company's infotainment system will find its way into Honda's cars in the Chinese market. This strategic choice comes at a time when Honda is experiencing sales challenges in China.
This is written by the medium Enginepatrol .
In the first 11 months of 2024, Honda's sales in China fell by over 30 percent, according to data from China EV DataTracker.
Honda sold 769,547 cars during this period, compared to 1,064,975 units during the same period in 2023.
The Japanese themselves blame the decline on the increasing demand for new electric cars and hybrid cars with intelligent technology, as well as the limited success of Honda's e:N series of electric cars.
To meet the expectations of Chinese consumers, Honda has launched a new car brand , "Ye", specifically for the Chinese market. The first models under this brand, the Ye S7 and Ye P7 SUVs, will be equipped with Huawei's Qiankun ADS system.
Qiankun ADS is a system that aims to make cars partially self-driving. It includes features such as Navigation Cruise Assist (NCA), which enables driving from one parking space to another without the owner intervening in the car.
Huawei already supplies this system to other Chinese automakers, including Dongfeng, Changan, and GAC.
Originally scheduled for launch in 2024, the Ye S7 and P7 have been postponed to the first quarter of 2025. The postponement is due to unsatisfactory investor expectations for Honda's marketing strategies and the lagging integration of AI technology.
When the models are launched, they will combine Huawei's system with Honda's own Sensing 360+ technology, indicating that Honda wants to maintain a degree of technological independence from the Chinese government.
To ensure that the Ye models appeal to Chinese consumers, Honda has assembled a young team of developers with an average age of 32 to design the cars.
In addition to Huawei's technology, the Ye S7 and P7 will feature a 40-inch augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD) and an 89.8 kWh battery. Some components for the cars will be supplied by companies such as CATL, Huawei and iFlytek.
The partnership with Huawei underscores Honda's strategic focus on adapting to the Chinese market and capitalizing on the growing demand for intelligent mobility in China. The success of the Ye brand is crucial to Honda's ability to regain its position in the Chinese market.
