- HIMA expands battery sourcing beyond CATL, adding Gotion, CALB, Sunwoda to reduce dependency.
- Gotion's 81 kWh LFP pack nominated for AITO M6 and other HIMA models amid factory audits.
- HIMA seeks ~10% battery cost cuts to hit 2026 volume targets and boost mid‑low‑end competitiveness.
According to a report by 36Kr, HIMA is bringing in multiple power battery suppliers in a broad move, breaking the previous “exclusive supply” situation dominated by CATL.
This initiative involves several brands including AITO, Luxeed, and SAIC, marking a major adjustment in HIMA’s supply chain strategy.
Insiders revealed that the AITO brand, which has long been supplied exclusively by CATL, will introduce two second‑tier battery suppliers, CALB and Gotion High‑tech. The AITO M6 has already nominated Gotion’s 81 kWh battery pack. It is learned that Gotion received the nomination letter from HIMA last year, and CALB will also enter AITO’s supply system.
In addition, the power batteries for the Luxeed brand, originally supplied by CATL and CALB, will soon include Gotion and Sunwoda as well.
According to industry sources close to Sunwoda and Gotion, the Luxeed V9 and Luxeed R7 models may adopt Sunwoda’s 53 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, while the Luxeed RX and Luxeed R7 are initially planned to use Gotion’s 81 kWh LFP battery pack.
At the same time, Gotion’s 81 kWh LFP battery pack may also be installed on the Shangjie brand models. Previously, Shangjie’s battery suppliers were only CATL and CALB.
An internal staff member at Gotion said that HIMA is currently conducting pre‑production audits of Gotion’s factory. At the same time, Huawei has also sent personnel to be stationed at Gotion’s cell production lines.
The core driving force behind this supply chain adjustment is cost pressure.
This year, rising prices of memory chips and lithium carbonate have brought significant cost pressures to the automotive industry.
For HIMA, to achieve the goal of delivering 1 million vehicles in 2026, it must reduce supply chain costs to gain more pricing flexibility for its vehicles. Especially in the mid‑to‑low‑end market, which has greater volume potential, models like the AITO M6 and Shangjie Z7 need to capture more market share.
The price difference is the most direct catalyst. A battery industry sales representative revealed that for LFP battery packs of the same capacity, Gotion’s and Sunwoda’s quotes to HIMA are “about 10% lower than CATL’s.”
Taking an 81 kWh LFP battery as an example, a 10% price gap could translate into a cost saving of nearly 2,000 yuan per pack. In today’s environment, where supply chain costs are already squeezed to the limit, this is a considerable reduction.
It is learned that one reason why the AITO M6 chose second‑tier battery suppliers is that the company is not satisfied with the current order volume for the M6 and hopes to make the product more cost‑effective through cost reduction and price adjustments.
However, this strategy also carries uncertainties. An industry source close to HIMA emphasized that before the models are announced on the MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) public list, all the above plans are subject to change.
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