The SF5 that was jointly launched by Huawei and Chinese auto maker SERES Photo: Screenshot of Huawei's website

Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Tuesday announced that the SF5 - an electric sport utility vehicle that was jointly launched by Huawei and Chinese automaker SERES on Monday - has officially entered Huawei's flagship retail stores and will be sold through the company's retail sales channels.

During the event, Richard Yu Chengdong, chief executive of Huawei's consumer business group, said that this move set a precedent for both the consumer electronics industry and the automobile industry.

"In the future, Huawei will not only help automakers to manufacture smart electric cars by providing intelligent solutions, but it also will help them sell cars through Huawei's sales channels, using the company's rich marketing experience," Yu said.

As of the end of 2020, Huawei had 60,000 retail locations globally, including 12 flagship stores and more than 50,000 retail stores, which had received more than 80 million consumers.

During the 19th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai on Monday, Huawei and Chinese automaker SERES jointly launched the SF5 that applies Huawei's solutions for smart cars, including the HiCar and Drive One systems.

An employee with Huawei told the Global Times that Huawei's autonomous driving system can be adapted to all road conditions including turns and traffic lights, and has reached the level 4 - a level that Tesla has yet to reach.

Mass production will start this year, according to the employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. However, the employee did not reveal the production quantity.

Coming just one day after Huawei revealed a series of smart car components and solutions on Sunday, the launch of the SF5 underscored the company's ambitious foray into smart NEV sector, as it remains under huge pressure from the US' crackdowns on its smartphone business, including a chip ban.

The SF5 series will also be sold under Huawei's Zhixuan brand, which has joined with more than 150 brands to launch over 450 smart products for homes, offices and other sectors.

Under the Zhixuan brand, Huawei selects products that are produced by partners, with Huawei's deep involvement in the software and hardware development process, based on the company's HiLink and HiCar technologies.

According to Huawei, the SF5 is the first auto product of the Zhixuan brand, and the launch of the car is a new upgrade of Huawei's smart travel strategy.  

At a launch event for smart travel solutions on Sunday, Wang Jun, president of Huawei's Intelligent Automotive Solution Business Unit, said that the company will invest $1 billion in developing intelligent vehicle solutions in 2021.