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The general public knows Huawei for smartphones. In 2019, the Chinese manufacturer ended up on the front page of the world press for the ban imposed by the Trump government and for the subsequent stop to Android licensing imposed by Google for all Huawei-branded smartphones. In practice, forcing the Chinese manufacturer to sell devices without the Play Store and therefore without the apps and services of the Google world, including maps. Since then, Huawei smartphones have been effectively unusable, especially in Europe.
A blow that would have made most smartphone manufacturers go bankrupt, but this did not happen for Huawei. How did she do it? Thanks also to billion-dollar incentives received from the Chinese government (identified in the past as the real largest shareholder of the group through an unspecified union committee of the holding company) which will allow it to become a key figure in the Chinese automotive market in the future. No 100% produced car, unlike what happened with Xiaomi, but one of the main suppliers of software and technology linked to active and passive safety systems.
Huawei Harmony OS
If Google has entered millions of cars with Android automotive, Huawei aims to do so with the Harmony OS system, capable of managing the main functions starting from on-board electronics and arriving at infotainment. As already seen with Xiaomi, another Chinese manufacturer of smartphones and technology which has now also entered the world of cars, the integration between software and personal devices will lead to maximum integration between the car and the surrounding environment starting from the possibility of opening the car via smartphone or smartphone. The creation of a real mobility ecosystem, where Xiaomi is also at work, will be one of Huawei’s strengths. To see the technologies developed, it is sufficient to look closely at the Aito M5 SUV. Powered by an extended range engine (Erev), it features the Harmony OS operating system created by Huawei and Lidar technology for autonomous driving also developed by Huawei. Huawei’s strategy of partnering with automakers rather than going it alone has put it ahead of rival Xiaomi.
Chinese manufacturers fear Huawei
As reported by Automotive News, Huawei’s success with Aito is threatening other Chinese electric car brands who are in turn questioning its reliability. An example comes from Xpeng founder He Xiaopeng, the founder of Xpeng, who during the crisis of his brand wondered whether Aito’s automatic emergency braking was safe enough to be marketed nationwide. Huawei said last September it will make its assisted driving system 2.0 available across China by the end of the year. Chen Hong, president of Saic Motor Corp., said that if his company worked with Huawei and used his technology it would be like giving up control and the “soul” of the car. The Chinese hi-tech giant has instead expressed its desire to be close to automakers and help them survive consolidation.