The Shangjie H5, targeting the 150,000-200,000 RMB ($21,000-$28,000) market, is the most affordable new car from HIMA.
Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA)’s latest car, the Shangjie H5, has officially lit up. Rumored to be positioned within the 150,000-200,000 RMB ($21,000-$28,000) range, the Shangjie H5 marks the first model from the Shangjie brand, forming a key part of HIMA’s strategy to reach an annual sales target of one million units.
The Shangjie H5 adopts a classic five-seat family SUV design. It will feature Huawei’s ADS 4.0, with advanced driver assistance being one of its key selling points. Although HIMA has often been joked about with the phrase “the more expensive, the better it sells,” the Shangjie H5 is clearly the volume driver for the brand, helping it reach its ambitious sales goals.
The 150,000-200,000 RMB ($21,000-$28,000) segment for new energy SUVs is fiercely competitive, with players like BYD Song L, Leapmotor C11, XPeng G6, and Denza L60. With traditional fuel-powered competitors like the Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan L, and VW Tayron also in play, the market is bustling.
Will the Shangjie H5 be able to meet the high expectations of this price-sensitive, volume-driven market?
Pragmatic Exterior Design
The exterior design of Shangjie H5 is quite practical. Current feedback suggests that the car hasn’t received as much praise as the STELATO S9T, which also debuted on the same day.
Perhaps in order to reflect HIMA’s identity as a smart car brand, the Shangjie H5 does not adopt the rumored Rising RC7 styling but incorporates some family design elements from HIMA.
As two models bridging price points, the Shangjie H5 is seen as somewhat similar to HIMA’s currently lowest-priced model, the AITO M5 Ultra.
The front light cluster of Shangjie H5 is similar to the AITO M5 Ultra, with upward-angled lights and a day-running light surrounding the headlamps. Both vehicles also feature closed grilles, large air intakes, and vertical lines on the front hood, making it easy to draw comparisons between the two.
However, unlike the AITO M5 Ultra, the Shangjie H5 adopts a more rounded headlamp design, which suits its family car orientation. The day-running lights in the lower bumper soften the sharpness of the front.
Additionally, Shangjie H5 uses traditional door handles, and its wheel design is not as sporty as the AITO M5 Ultra.
In terms of body lines, Shangjie H5 also shares a flat roofline, much like AITO models.
Unlike the sporty positioning of the AITO M5 Ultra, the Shangjie H5 features a short front overhang and long rear overhang, suggesting a spacious interior, especially in the rear seats.
In fact, @孙少军09 revealed that the Shangjie H5’s wheelbase is “a bit larger than that of the AITO M7,” and that “three adults can move freely, without touching each other’s shoulders or legs.”
As a reference, the AITO M7 has a wheelbase of 2820mm, while the vehicle believed to be Shangjie H5’s predecessor, the Rising RC7, has dimensions of 4860/1920/1660mm, with a 2935mm wheelbase. Shangjie H5’s wheelbase is likely within this range.
With features like the same 192-line LiDAR and 4D millimeter-wave radar as the AITO M9 and the MAEXTRO S800, the Huawei ADS 4.0 driver assistance system, and likely the HarmonyOS smart cockpit, the Shangjie H5’s key competitive edge becomes clearer: Smart Features + Spacious Interior.
Huawei’s Qiankun driver-assist capabilities have already become its hallmark. The current suspense is which version of ADS 4.0 will be featured in Shangjie H5.
Huawei’s ADS 4.0 has four levels: from the basic ADS SE version with high-speed NCA and urban LCC+ functions, to the flagship ADS Ultra version that claims to have high-speed L3 capabilities.
The AITO M5 Ultra, starting from 229,800 RMB ($32,172), comes with the ADS SE basic version, with an optional upgrade to the ADS Max ultra version. Despite Shangjie H5 being in the 150,000-200,000 RMB ($21,000-$28,000) range, its inclusion of 192-line LiDAR and 4D millimeter-wave radar offers exciting potential for its driver-assist capabilities.
A bigger highlight is the car’s interior space. As a family vehicle, comfort within the large interior is also essential, including the seat support, whether the second row has zero-gravity seats, and whether there will be rear screens, AR-HUD, or a car fridge.
Additionally, the driving performance is worth looking forward to. It’s unclear whether Shangjie H5 uses Huawei or SAIC’s chassis technology, but SAIC’s experience in chassis tuning might allow the vehicle to perform better than competitors in the same class.
Many puzzles surround Shangjie H5, but one thing is for certain: under its practical appearance, it hides the potential to disrupt the 150,000-200,000 RMB ($21,000-$28,000) family SUV market.
Intense Competition
Even with the current new energy vehicle (NEV) penetration rate above 50%, models like the Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan L, and VW Tayron still sell more than 15,000 units per month. In June, the RAV4 and Tiguan L even sold nearly 20,000 units.
This massive market, where no single NEV SUV has yet claimed absolute dominance, sees everyone trying to claim their share.
Besides Shangjie H5, other NEV SUVs like the Leapmotor C11, XPeng G6, ONVO L60, and BYD Song L have already entered the fray.
For most consumers, the vehicle’s appearance is often closely tied to its target demographic and is key to catching the consumer’s attention.
Design-wise, the BYD Song L shares the most similar styling to the Shangjie H5, both targeting more traditional family users. The Song L DM-i, which sells 14,000-20,000 units per month, is one of Shangjie H5’s best-performing competitors.
However, unlike BYD’s early push towards intelligent features, the Shangjie H5 stands out for its smart features. The Harmony smart cockpit combined with ADS 4.0 has wider recognition and acceptance. Given the similar price points, this is Shangjie H5’s unique advantage.
Regarding size and space, the Shangjie H5’s performance is still to be revealed.
If the Shangjie H5’s wheelbase is above 2820mm, it could be at least 38mm longer than the Song L DM-i, which has a wheelbase of 2782mm, giving it a larger size. But if it’s less than 2890mm, it will fall behind the Leapmotor C11, XPeng G6, and ONVO L60.
New energy brands’ corresponding models are also strong competitors for Shangjie H5. The Leapmotor C11 typically sells 6,000-9,000 units during a generation cycle, the XPeng G6 is stable at around 5,000 units, and the ONVO L60 continues to rise, with 6,400 units sold in June.
Although size and space are not always directly correlated, the ONVO L60, with dimensions of 4828/1930/1616mm and a 2950mm wheelbase, stands out for its “second-row freedom” as a key selling point.
Additionally, the XPeng G6 comes with urban driving capabilities across all models and up to 725km of CLTC range, ONVO L60 offers BaaS policies and options for battery swaps and charging, while the Leapmotor C11 has a small price gap between versions and also includes AR-HUD in some configurations.
Compared to the new energy brands, the backing from Huawei and SAIC represents a gap that these new forces still need to catch up to.
Shangjie’s current marketing activities primarily highlight the smart features from HIMA and the solid foundation of SAIC’s automotive expertise and quality.
This partnership maximizes Shangjie H5’s software and hardware capabilities, while its accumulated advantages in the supply chain, financial strength, and influence give it the confidence to be competitive in terms of cost-effectiveness.
However, many people are concerned about the future of the partnership between Huawei and SAIC due to the immense strength of both entities.
Born into Privilege in the Auto Industry
What’s Shangjie H5’s biggest advantage? Many people’s first reaction is Huawei’s smart features, which are also one of the main selling points of the HIMA brand. But Shangjie H5 also has another double-edged sword characteristic.
Among the five entities under HIMA, SAIC is undoubtedly the most powerful partner.
Before BYD overtakes its sales in 2024, SAIC has been the top-selling automotive group in China for 18 consecutive years. With brands like MG and Maxus, SAIC has a certain influence and recognition overseas.
As the Shangjie H5 gets closer to market, the company’s marketing campaigns are ramping up. In many of the posters circulating today, SAIC’s 70+ years of automotive experience is highlighted. One of the posters even directly compares Shangjie H5 to a well-backed newcomer in the EV arena.
There were rumors that Huawei was discussing with HIMA’s entities—LUXEED, STELATO, and Shangjie—about setting up dedicated sales networks with partner automakers to expand sales channels. As HIMA introduces more models, creating their own sales network seems almost inevitable.
Over the past two years, as domestic joint ventures have reduced their network presence, SAIC has accelerated the construction of sales networks for its own brands, making it easy for SAIC to expand the Shangjie sales channels.
Unlike the other four entities, the Shangjie logo prominently features SAIC’s English abbreviation—SAIC, symbolizing the company’s strong influence.
Huawei and SAIC both have plenty of say in their respective fields. The clash between these two powerful teams is likely to be more complex and high-pressure than if one had dominant control, leaving people concerned that Shangjie might be influenced by the relationship between the two.
For now, these concerns seem premature. First, SAIC’s momentum in the new energy vehicle sector has not fully matured. The emergence of Shangjie brings new hope for SAIC’s shift to new energy and may even drive the growth of other brands like IM Motors and Roewe.
On the other hand, internal remarks and public statements from SAIC executives show strong attention to Shangjie. The brand also has a team of over 5,000 people supporting it. SAIC President Jia Jianxu has stated, “SAIC Group is deeply involved and will definitely provide the best resources to support Shangjie.”
At the same time, HIMA, besides high-end models like the AITO M8/9 and MAEXTRO S800, also needs a truly high-volume product.
From the signing of a deep cooperation agreement on February 21 to the brand’s release on April 16, followed by the Shangjie H5’s unveiling, the actions have been rapid—ambitions almost bursting from the screen.
This well-backed newcomer of the 150,000-200,000 RMB ($21,000-$28,000) market—is it going to become a hit? We’ll know by autumn.
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