(Yicai) Aug. 26 -- Chinese carmaker SAIC Motor and Huawei Technologies have put on sale the first model of Shangjie, their new electric vehicle brand targeting the mainstream market.

The Shangjie H5, a mid-size sport utility vehicle, began pre-sales with a starting price of CNY169,800 (USD23,745), Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, the smart car alliance under Huawei, announced at an autumn product launch event yesterday. The new auto marks the Shenzhen-based tech giant's entrance into the sub-CNY200,000 market.

The H5 has a range-extended version priced from CNY169,800 to CNY189,800, with a range of 1,360 kilometers, and a fully electric edition priced from CNY175,800 to CNY209,800, with a range of 525 to 655 km. All models include Huawei's HarmonyOS cockpit and the basic or advanced version of the firm's smart advanced driving system 4.0.

HIMA noted that it took more than 25,000 orders for the H5 within just one hour of the car going on sale.

The H5's key strengths lie in the HarmonyOS cockpit and the inclusion of the latest ADS 4.0 in higher-end models, bringing Huawei's intelligent driving technology to the sub-CNY200,000 segment, according to analysts.

SAIC and Huawei established Shangjie after the pair deepened their tie-up on Feb. 21. The brand debuted at HIMA's launch event on Apr. 16, becoming the fifth brand under HIMA, following Aito with Seres Group, Luxeed with Chery Auto, Stelato with BAIC BluePark Energy Technology, and Maextro with JAC Motors.,

Shangjie will focus on style, new technologies, and a high-quality traveling experience, Jia Jianxu, president of SAIC, said at HIMA's launch event in April. The project had an initial investment of CNY6 billion (USD839 billion), with a dedicated technical team of more than 5,000 members, he added.

In addition, SAIC is building a super factory that will only produce Shangjie models in Shanghai, Jia pointed out.

HIMA's cars priced around CNY300,000 were at the break-even point, with plans to enter the sub-CNY200,000 market once cost efficiency was improved, Yu Chengdong, managing director of Huawei and chairman of its intelligent automotive solutions business group, said at an industry forum in June last year.

HIMA has delivered more than 900,000 vehicles as of yesterday, aiming to exceed 1 million units by October, Yu noted at the autumn launch event. Deliveries topped 47,752 units last month, he added.

Editors: Huang Lin, Martin Kadiev