China's GAC Group and technology firm Huawei plan to launch the first model under their jointly created premium electric vehicle brand Qijing in June 2026, according to information released by the brand on Wednesday.
Qijing outlined the timeline in a post on Weibo, saying its debut vehicle will be a shooting brake-style coupe positioned at the upper end of the market. The model is intended to compete on design, driving performance and intelligent features with vehicles priced at around 1 million yuan ($142,000).
The brand said its development team, working closely with Huawei's Qiankun intelligent driving unit, is in the final stages of vehicle tuning. The car's core architecture has been designed to integrate Huawei Qiankun's advanced driver assistance system, including support for highway Level 3 conditional autonomous driving capabilities.
GAC officially unveiled the Qijing brand on Sept. 19, targeting China's fast-growing premium electric vehicle segment. At the launch, the automaker said it had set up an independent company to operate Qijing, while Huawei would assign technical personnel to participate directly in product development.
GAC has said it will prioritise Qijing with top-tier internal resources to support the brand's long-term growth. All Qijing vehicles are expected to be equipped with Huawei Qiankun's latest intelligent vehicle technologies, reflecting the deep integration between the two partners.
On Sept. 25, Qijing appointed Liu Jiaming as chief executive. Liu previously held senior positions at GAC Toyota and within GAC Group. The brand has said its first model has already completed summer testing in Xinjiang, where it was validated under extreme high-temperature conditions.
The planned 2026 launch highlights the intensifying competition in China's premium EV market, where automakers are increasingly relying on advanced software, intelligent driving systems and close partnerships with technology companies to differentiate their offerings.