BYD is reportedly collaborating with Huawei on one of its upcoming electric SUVs. According to FirstPost, the upcoming Formula Leopard 8 will use Huawei’s Intelligent Driving System. It will be the first time the two companies are joining hands.
Leopard 8 (Bao 8) is the upcoming flagship off-road electric SUV BYD’s luxury sub-brand Formula Bao (Fangchengbao in Chinese). The sub-brand was announced last year and currently sells Leopard 5 as the only product. It will be joined by Leopard 8 and the entry-level Leopard 5 as well as an unnamed sports car.
Huawei Qiankun ADS 3.0
As a flagship, the Leopard 8 will be the first model under the Fangvengbao brand to obtain an urban NOA (Navigation on Autopilot) status. The electric SUV was spotted earlier with a laser radar (LiDAR) during road test which is an integral component of Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 3.0.
This smart driving technology was unveiled in Apri and debuted on Stelato S9, co-developed by Huawei and Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC). It is also planned for the updated models of Luxeed S7 (Huawei and Chery), Aito SUV Series by Huawei and Serev (M5, M7, and M9). ADS 3.0 will also appear on other models by Dongfeng Lantu and GAC Trumpchi by next year.
For a brand like BYD which has collaborated with number of smart driving system supplier in the past, it is the first time working with Huawei. Prior to this, BYD has relied on Momenta, Horizon, Black Sesame Technologies, DJI and Hongjing Drive.
Fangchengbao 8 (Leopard 8) Release Date, Pricing, Competition
Leopard 8 (Bao 8) was originally planned for a Q3 release. However, it has reportedly postponed for Q4. It will cost around 500,000 RMB at the launch and will rival Tank GWM Tank 700 Hi4-T which ranges between 428,000 – 468,000 RMB.
