After 14 months, Feng Xingya of GAC Group met with Ren Zhengfei again.

Fourteen months ago, when Feng Xingya and Ren Zhengfei first shook hands on Qijing, the brand's products had not yet been launched. Fourteen months later, the two met again; the GT7 had already been delivered, and the GX7 was scheduled to launch in September.

On August 24, Feng Xingya, Chairman of GAC Group, met with Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei, in Shenzhen. The two sides discussed the development of the Qijing brand, the next generation of automotive products, and cooperation mechanisms.

This meeting coincided with the handover of two new models from the Qijing brand. The GT7 was launched on June 26th and nationwide deliveries began on July 9th. Data released by GAC Group shows that the GT7 sold 2,658 units in its first month on the market.

The second model, the GX7, is also in development. It made its first public appearance offline on August 21st, and Qijing (the company behind the GX7) stated that it plans to launch it in September. Three days later, Feng Xingya met with Ren Zhengfei, and the discussions extended beyond the GT7 to the next generation of products and future cooperation arrangements.

This meeting took place at the point of transition to the second model, and therefore attracted more attention than a regular high-level exchange.

New brands especially need this continuity. Consumers care about whether there will be new cars in the future, and whether existing vehicles will continue to receive software upgrades and services; distribution channels also need to adjust their store locations and investments according to the product rollout. If subsequent products are delayed, the orders and buzz generated by the first car will be difficult to translate into brand recognition.

This also connects the meeting to Qijing's high-end positioning. Selling a 300,000 RMB-level smart electric vehicle involves more than just the initial configuration; it also includes subsequent software, services, and the overall product experience. A brand viewed as a short-term project will find it difficult to establish a stable high-end premium.

The deeper the cooperation, the more Qijing needs to develop its own product judgment. Huawei's Qiankun technology is entering more and more car brands, and "equipping with Huawei" can raise the starting point of intelligence, but it cannot answer on its own why consumers choose Qijing.

Automakers' autonomy is ultimately reflected in their specific decisions: who are their products aimed at, how are trade-offs made regarding intelligent driving, chassis, space, and safety, and how is user feedback fed back into R&D and manufacturing? GAC needs to be responsible for the entire vehicle engineering, manufacturing, and quality, while Huawei's intelligent capabilities need to be incorporated into product development much earlier.

According to the project team, the two parties adopted a joint office, collaborative design, and joint development approach. The GT7 is the first mass-produced product under this cooperation model, while the GX7 will test whether it can be replicated in different vehicle models.

The meeting 14 months ago set the direction for Qijing. This time, the two sides began discussing next-generation products and longer-term cooperation arrangements. The GX7 and subsequent models will determine whether Qijing can truly move from a collaborative project to a high-end automotive brand.

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