First images of the Maextro S800: the Chinese luxury saloon that wants to compete with Maybach

Chinese carmaker JAC (Jianghuai Automobile Co) and Chinese consumer electronics giant Huawei have joined forces with the aim of carving out a place in the lucrative ultra-luxury vehicle market. The result of that collaboration has just been unveiled under the name Maextro S800.

As can be seen in the images now made public, the Maextro S800 is a luxury electric saloon of generous dimensions. At 5.48 metres long, this model aims to take on rivals of the calibre of the Mercedes-Maybach when it finally reaches the Chinese market in the second quarter of the current year.

The Maextro S800 will be available with a fully electric powertrain, as well as with a range extender (EREV). It is estimated that wealthy Chinese customers who want to buy one of this luxury saloon will have to pay between one million and one and a half million yuan. At the current exchange rate, that works out to between 130,000 and 200,000 euros.

Everything you need to know about this Chinese luxury saloon

The Maextro S800’s specification sheet is certainly worth mentioning. Beyond the almost five and a half metres of length already mentioned for this luxury electric saloon, the Maextro S800 is also a very wide vehicle, measuring two metres from side to side. It also stands 1.54 metres tall, and its wheelbase is 3 metres and 37 centimetres.

The fully electric version of the Maextro S800 integrates three electric motors: one on the front axle rated at 160 kW, accompanied by two more on the rear axle, each with an individual output of 237.5 kW. The combined power of the three motors thus comes to 635 kW. Likewise, the version with a range extender will be available with either two or three motors, in addition to the 135 kW combustion engine that acts as a generator.

This latter version we mentioned is equipped with a battery pack supplied by CATL with a capacity somewhat lower than that of the fully electric version, coming in at 63 kWh. What we don’t yet know is the exact capacity of the battery pack in the fully electric version, as the manufacturer has not yet disclosed its complete technical specifications.

Maextro is Huawei’s fourth brand under the HIMA umbrella (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance), joining Stelato (with BAIC), AITO (with Seres) and Luxeed (with Chery). This makes clear Huawei’s strong interest in establishing itself in the luxury car market.