In China, spy photos lit up a new crossover Huawei – Aito M9. A car on the roads was noticed for the first time, before that nothing was reported about it. According to preliminary data, Aito M9 will become a luxury SUV with a price of about 73 thousand dollars, and its main competitor in China will be Li Auto L9, the best car in China last year.

Huawei already has a large 6-seat crossover Aito M7, the new model will be larger and longer than the Land Cruiser 300. Aito M9 is expected to receive Huawei’s most advanced autonomous driving system (probably L3 or L3+ level) and will premiere in September -October. Perhaps Aito M9 will be presented on the same stage with Huawei’s flagship phones of the Mate 60 line (Aito M7 was presented on the same stage with Huawei nova 10).

Recall that at the moment Huawei has hybrids Aito M5 and Aito M5, as well as a pure electric car Aito M5 EV. Formally, the Aito M9 will be the fourth model of Huawei, in fact it will be the third car, since the Aito M5 EV is just a version of the Aito M5.

Audi has unveiled the Audi Activesphere concept car, which is designed for off-road driving.

He received a protected bottom, height-adjustable suspension and convenient ways to transport sports equipment. The rear part can turn into a loading area, where you can place, for example, bicycles. That is, the crossover can be used as a pickup truck.

It will get a spacious interior where you can relax when the car is in self-driving mode. The interior fully reflects Audi’s confidence in augmented reality. Passengers will be able to wear augmented reality glasses, which will provide access to the controls of the infotainment system and the virtual assistant. There will be no usual screens, while the glasses will be able to track the indicators of your body.

If the driver wants to take control, the instrument panel and steering wheel will rise into place. Audi clearly expects to take control only at the exit from the road.

Audi claims a range of around 600 km and 270 kW fast charging using an 800 V architecture. According to the developers, the 100 kWh battery will be able to charge from 5 to 80% in 25 minutes.

It is the fourth model in Audi’s electric concept lineup. In August 2021, the company launched this initiative with the Skysphere roadster, and a month later introduced the Grandsphere sedan. Last year’s Urbansphere was called the SUV for the cities of the future, where your car will be not only a means of transportation, but also an office (or a refuge from the outside world).

Elon Musk sees Tesla’s biggest competition in China, home to a company he expects is “likely to be second” in the electric car market behind Tesla.

When asked about Tesla’s competitors, Elon Musk replied that he respects car companies in China, calling it the most competitive market in the world. Musk did not name any specific Chinese automaker.

They work harder than everyone and smarter than everyone. So, we are guessing that there is probably some company from China that will most likely be second only to Tesla. Our team wins in China. And I think that we can really attract the best people in China. So hopefully this will continue.

Elon Musk

China is Tesla’s second largest market. This country accounted for about two-thirds of all electric vehicle sales in the world in 2022. Tesla’s largest factory is also located in China. There are many EV competitors in this market, including Xpeng, Nio, BYD. Xiaomi will enter the market soon.

Elon Musk said the recent sharp decline in car prices has spurred demand and that the company is cutting spending to grow amid the recession Musk expects this year.