(Yicai Global) Aug. 26 -- Chinese new energy vehicle maker Hozon Auto, also known as Nezha Auto, will join hands with Huawei Technologies to unveil the pair's first jointly developed smart car next year.

The first vehicle model Nezha S will use Huawei's intelligent driving platform Mobile Data Center and its laser radar technology, the pair said in a joint statement yesterday.

The two firms will join hands on intelligent networks, in-vehicle computing, smart driving, digital energy, and cloud services, they added.

Hozon is the fifth Chinese automaker that is planning to cooperate with the Shenzhen-based telecoms giant that is entering the smart vehicle software sector. The other four firms are BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology, Sokon Group, Chang'an Automobile Group, and GAC.

Some may have already seen a prototype of Nezha S. The Zhejiang province-based carmaker was displaying the model at the 2021 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition last April.

Nezha S can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 3.9 seconds. It can achieve level-four autonomous driving in certain scenarios. The extended range version can go for 1,100 km before needing to be recharged.

Founded in 2014, Hozon revealed its first mass-produced vehicle in July 2018. Recently, the firm reached a milestone of 60,000 produced cars. From January to July, the company sold more than 27,100 units, up almost six times from a year ago.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi