Huawei Technologies' ultra-luxury Maextro S800 sedan is so popular in China nowadays, it is outselling Porsche's Panamera, Mercedes-Benz Group's S-Class and all other vehicles with sticker prices of at least US$100,000.
It is not even close. Since its May launch, sales of the Maextro overtook those of all others in that price bracket in September and have not looked back. Last month, they rolled out of dealerships at numbers greater than those of the Panamera – one of the longtime top sellers – and the BMW seven Series combined, according to data compiled by ECC Intelligence.
Billed as a ride rivalling that of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley – but at a fraction of the price – Huawei conquered one of the last corners of the Chinese car market that foreign brands had clung on to as a stronghold.
It is the latest illustration of how global automakers, which ceded their lead in mainstream vehicles years ago, keep sliding further behind local companies in the world's biggest auto market, with no end in sight.
"The changing demands of Chinese customers and growing pride in domestic brands have upended the luxury market," said Zhu Yulong, founder of consultancy Zhineng Auto.
Huawei, long known as one of China's top tech companies, has emerged as a dominant force in the country's auto industry in recent years by teaming up with local carmakers.
These partnerships typically involve Huawei providing high-end technology such as driver-assistance software and its vast sales network, while the partner manufactures the vehicle. Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group produces the Maextro in its factory in the eastern city of Hefei.
The Maextro, a play on the Italian word for "conductor," starts at 708,000 yuan and goes up to 1.02 million yuan for the most premium version. By comparison, the Panamera starts at 1.1 million yuan in China.
"Maextro S800 is the first time that a Chinese brand has managed to get a foothold in the one million yuan ultra-luxury segment," Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's consumer business group, told state broadcaster CCTV on a programme aired Dec 9. "We're in the intelligence and electrification era and we're leading through smarter technologies and innovation."