Huawei-Backed Maextro S800 Delivered over 1,000 Units in Debut Month

The Hefei super factory has ramped up monthly capacity to 2,000 units, bringing the overall delivery lead time for the Maextro S800 down to two to three months.

Maextro, the premium brand jointly developed by Huawei and JAC Motors, has reported a strong debut for its first model, the S800. According to vehicle insurance registration data, retail deliveries reached 1,006 units in the first month.

Priced between RMB 708,000–1,018,000 ($99,160–142,530), the S800’s early performance is estimated to have contributed around RMB 700 million–1 billion ($98 million–140 million) in revenue for JAC.

Huawei executive director and Terminal BG chairman Richard Yu had revealed in early August that the S800 had secured more than 10,000 firm orders within 67 days of launch. Official figures show cumulative orders reached 12,000 units within 87 days.

By comparison, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, starting at RMB 1.468 million ($205,600), recorded 12,449 sales in China throughout 2024, averaging around 1,037 units per month. The S800’s order momentum is already on par with the German marque.

Competition in the domestic luxury EV segment is heating up. NIO rolled out its flagship ET9 sedan earlier this year, starting at RMB 788,000 ($110,350). The model began deliveries in March, with 835 units handed over in April alone.

Market response suggests growing acceptance of million-yuan-class new energy flagships from Chinese brands. Beyond Huawei’s branding leverage, consumers have cited exterior design sophistication as a key factor in purchase decisions. At the same time, range-extender technology has been viewed by many as a practical solution to alleviate range anxiety.

For now, the S800 remains in the ramp-up phase. Industry sources report 330 units delivered last week, with September volumes projected to reach around 1,500 units. Production is expected to stabilize in the fourth quarter at 2,000–3,000 units per month.

Output capacity at the Hefei “super factory” has already risen to 2,000 units per month. With mass deliveries underway since August, overall lead times have shortened to 2–3 months, a marked improvement compared with the six-month waits common in traditional luxury brands.

Investor sentiment has been quick to respond. On the day the figures were released, JAC’s share price climbed to a record intraday high of RMB 56.5 ($7.91), before closing at RMB 54.29 ($7.61). The company’s market capitalization now stands at RMB 118.6 billion ($16.61 billion).