Honda has revealed plans to equip its future vehicles with Huawei’s cutting-edge Intelligent Driving System.

The collaboration aims to tackle market performance challenges and address investor concerns as the automaker strives to regain its position in a highly competitive landscape dominated by intelligent and electrified vehicles.

For those concerned, this development is strictly limited to the Chinese market as part of Honda’s new “Ye” brand, created exclusively for the region. The first vehicles to feature Huawei’s technology will be the Ye S7 and Ye P7 SUVs. According to CarNewsChina, these models will integrate Huawei’s Qiankun ADS system, a cutting-edge autonomous driving aid lauded for its human-like capabilities. This includes Navigation Cruise Assist (NCA), which enables seamless operation from one parking space to another. Huawei already supplies this system to other Chinese automakers like Dongfeng, Changan, and GAC.

Initially slated for a 2024 launch, the Ye S7 and P7 have been postponed to the first quarter of 2025 due to unmet investor expectations around marketing strategies and intelligent technology integration. These models will eventually combine Huawei’s Intelligent Driving System with Honda’s proprietary Sensing 360+ technology, signaling Honda’s efforts to maintain a degree of technological independence.

The launch of the Ye brand comes at a challenging time for Honda in China. Data from the China EV DataTracker shows Honda’s sales in the region fell by over 30% during the first 11 months of 2024, with 769,547 units sold compared to 1,064,975 units during the same period in 2023. This decline is largely attributed to the surging demand for intelligent new energy vehicles (NEVs) and the limited success of Honda’s earlier e:N electric vehicle brand.
To better meet the expectations of Chinese consumers, Honda has tasked a younger research and development team, averaging 32 years old, with designing the Ye models. The Ye S7 and P7 will feature cutting-edge technologies, including a 40-inch augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD) and an 89.8 kWh ternary NMC battery, with critical components provided by industry leaders like CATL, Huawei, and iFlytek.
This partnership with Huawei underscores Honda’s strategic pivot to align with Chinese market preferences and capitalize on the rising demand for intelligent mobility. The success of the Ye brand will be critical in determining whether Honda can regain its footing in the world’s largest automotive market.
