Avatr VP Yong Jun Clarifies "Huawei Not Essential" Controversy: Misinterpretation of Custom ADAS Version Statement

At the 23rd Sohu Auto Marketing Leadership Summit – Lu’an Forum held on August 14, Yong Jun, Vice President of Avatr Technology, publicly addressed for the first time the recent controversy surrounding remarks about Huawei being "non-essential." Yong clarified that previous statements had been misinterpreted. His original intent was not to suggest Huawei is "non-essential" to Avatr, but rather that it would be unnecessary for Huawei’s subsidiary, Yinwang, to develop a custom intelligent driving version exclusively for Avatr. He emphasized that Avatr and Huawei have maintained deep mutual trust and long-term collaboration, noting that brand differentiation does not mean severing ties with Huawei; instead, it involves exploring more suitable cooperation models based on their existing partnership. Citing the newly launched Avatr 07L as an example, Yong explained that the vehicle was developed under a co-creation model, with Huawei’s team deeply involved in every stage—from product definition and exterior design to interior styling and color selection. On the investment front, Avatr is currently the second-largest shareholder of Yinwang. Since Avatr and Huawei upgraded their strategic partnership to version 2.0 in 2023, their collaboration has continuously expanded. In April 2024, Avatr further signed an agreement with Huawei’s Huitong division to cooperate in areas including co-creation of service ecosystems, enhancement of service experiences, improvement of frontline talent quality, and exploration of digital services. Avatr stated it will continue leveraging the synergistic strengths of its three founding partners—Changan Automobile, Huawei, and CATL—while strengthening its own capabilities in original design, intelligent technologies, and proprietary innovations to build distinctive brand competitiveness.