Voyah still has a tough battle to fight.

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Author | Zhou Zhiyu

This year at the Beijing Auto Show, the Huawei booth was surrounded by cars bearing the “Huawei” label. Multiple brands were using the same intelligent driving system and cockpit ecosystem, and even the phrasing style of their press conferences was becoming increasingly similar.

This is a sign of the growing Hua-based alliance, but it’s also an issue every automaker in the alliance must confront. When the intelligent driving and cockpit both come from the same supplier, what’s the real difference from the neighboring booth?

Two days before the auto show, the Zhijie V9 was released, directly entering the MPV market. On April 24, 2026, in an interview, Shao Mingfeng, GM of Lantu Sales Company, said: “Mr. Yu (Yu Chengdong) said Zhijie is the best MPV, ‘but you need to add two words—‘one of’.’”

The tone was relaxed, but immediately after, Lantu Sales Deputy GM Li Boxiao cited a figure: Sales of the Dreamer equipped with Huawei’s intelligent driving and Lantu’s self-developed versions are at a ratio of 1:1.

This means that, for Lantu’s most successful product, half of the users are not buying Huawei’s capabilities—they are buying Lantu’s own features: chassis, safety, and space. This “half” is actually Lantu’s real basis for survival within the Hua-based alliance.

But this doesn’t mean Lantu is without pressure. Their pure electric transition has just begun, material costs have risen sharply, and product overlap within the alliance is intensifying. Lantu has more than one challenge to tackle.

The Half That Huawei Can’t Give

The order structure for Lantu’s latest Taishan X8 offers the best insight into this “half”.

On April 22, presales started, breaking 20,000 units in 20 hours. Shao Mingfeng told Wall Street Insights: Of five configurations, the two high-end versions, Ultra and Ultra+, account for 95%; Ultra alone nearly 60%.

Shao Mingfeng says he asked store staff about the reason, and users were direct: “Driving such a large five-seat SUV is all about enjoyment.” What they want are zero gravity seats, rear-wheel steering, and triple-chamber air suspension.

None of these features come from Huawei.

Lantu’s chassis engineering capabilities are almost unmatched in the Hua-based alliance. The entire Taishan family features triple-chamber air suspension with EDC magic carpet tech—the first in China. The bi-directional 16° rear-wheel steering reduces the turning radius of the 5.2-meter Taishan to 5.4 meters, close to a compact sedan. All-aluminum chassis and front double-wishbone with rear five-link—these are all Lantu’s own developments, not reliant on external suppliers.

Lantu Automotive Chairman Lu Fang also said in an auto show interview, “I can responsibly tell everyone that Lantu fully controls power, chassis, safety, and E/E architecture,” he said, “We are fully capable of competing with any global brand.”

This is not just talk. Taishan X8 user research shows the three most valued configurations are: extremely spacious cabin, quad-laser radar setup, and rear-wheel steering with triple-chamber air suspension. Among these, only the laser radar is related to Huawei; the other two are entirely Lantu engineering.

On the space front, Taishan X8 has a cabin area of 6.1 square meters—the largest among Chinese five-seat SUVs. Its trunk base capacity is 1148 liters, which Shao says is “twice that of a certain BBA model trunk.” This space specification enables Lantu-defined functions: one-click bed conversion, in-car wardrobe, kneading mechanical massage seats.

These features are often lumped into the “fridge, TV, sofa” category in public opinion, but Shao Mingfeng offers a judgment criteria: “Should be low cost, but definitely needed by users.” He cites the example of the clothes rod—for after sports when clothes are wet with nowhere to put them, or driving in casual wear worrying about suit wrinkles—these are frequent scenarios.

Compared to some in the industry adding hotpot or toilets inside cars, he admits, “That’s a bit far-fetched.”

When Lu Fang picked up this topic at the auto show interview, his emotion noticeably rose. “People online often stir things up, saying Chinese car-making has gone off-track; not at all,” he said. His logic is two-layered: the foundation is core technologies—chassis, 800V hybrid, safety, and Lantu has no weaknesses here; the upper layer is user innovation, where the clothes rod and one-click bed are stacked atop the tech base and not substitutes.

Capital markets have validated this logic externally. Morgan Stanley recently initiated coverage of Lantu, rating it “overweight” with a target price of HK$8.10.

Brokers don’t care about the clothes rod; they look for whether an automaker that controls chassis, power, manufacturing, and sales channels independently, apart from what Huawei provides in intelligent driving and cockpit, has enough standalone value. From Taishan X8’s order structure to Dreamer’s 1:1 sales figure, the answer is “yes”—for now.

But “for now” is the key.

Solving Three Problems At Once

Soon after Lantu released the Taishan X8 order data, Lu Fang admitted frankly: “Car price increases are likely.”

The background: International turmoil has driven material prices up, petrochemical costs are rising, directly impacting whole vehicles. But externally, the price war hasn't stopped, and Lantu says it won’t pass on costs to consumers.

The contradiction is already visible with Taishan X8. The new Mang wheels’ optional rate is as high as 75%, but users complain they are too expensive at over 20,000 yuan. Shao Mingfeng’s reply is honest: “Low volume, so high cost. Please wait a bit; we’ll analyze costs seriously based on the option ratio.” The same group—the 95% who chose the high spec are highly sensitive to any single optional price premium, which means they’re willing to pay for whole-experience, but reject any individual part making them feel “taken advantage of.”

With material prices rising, this balance will be harder to find. And Lantu has chosen this moment to announce a key strategic shift.

At the Beijing Auto Show, Lantu formally proposed a “new phase pure EV strategy”—aiming for over 50% pure EV sales by 2027. Currently, that figure is 35%.

Lantu’s brand awareness in recent years is tied to hybrid: large batteries, primarily pure electric drive, with engine assistance. Dreamer, Taishan, and Zhuiguang L—all core products’ selling points hinge on hybrid capability. Now, it is switching focus away from its strongest suit.

Lu Fang’s rationale: demand has changed. “Charging infrastructure has reached county towns,” he said, “When users replace cars, three or five years ago they’d pick hybrids, now many go straight for pure EV.” Taishan X8’s order data seems to confirm this—pure EV versions dominate overwhelmingly.

But Taishan X8 is a premium-priced new model, and its first batch buyers are naturally inclined to try new things and choose top-spec. Whether this ratio can be sustained over the product lifecycle, and replicated in lower-priced models, requires more quarters of delivery data. Lantu’s pure EV lineup is not deep—outside the two pure EV Taishan X8 versions, the main pure EV model on sale is Zhiyin. Moving from 35% to 50% will need new models, and whether product timing keeps pace is a hard execution constraint.

With rising costs and EV transition investment, if the external competitive landscape was stable, the pressure could at least be digested over time. But the market offers no such buffer.

Zhijie V9 broke 12,500 orders in its first hour of presale, priced at 399,800–529,800 yuan, directly overlapping Lantu’s Dreamer Collector version. According to industry sources, Zhijie V9 has issued a guidance to suppliers for annual output of about 120,000 units, close to Buick GL8’s yearly sales. There’s more than one MPV in the Harmony Intelligent Mobility system.

Lantu’s Dreamer has held “triple crown” status against Buick GL8 and Denza D9 in recent years. Now, it’s facing “teammates” using the same Huawei intelligent driving system.

Shao Mingfeng says “not afraid of any competitor,” and the Dreamer’s sales composition proves that Lantu’s value isn’t bound entirely to Huawei. But with Huawei’s brand pulling power rising with end users, can self-developed versions’ differentiation keep half the users satisfied? The answer isn’t up to Lantu alone.

The trouble with threefold pressure isn’t how big each one is individually—it’s that they arrive simultaneously and interlock. EV transition needs capital and product investment; material cost rises cut into profit; internal competition in the alliance compresses profit ceilings. Q1’s 33,892 deliveries—a 30% YoY increase—is a good start, but as pure EV share rises, new rivals hit the showroom, and cost pressure is passed through, all three lines will tighten at once.

Taishan X8 begins mass deliveries in mid-to-late May. In the second half of the year, Dreamer right-hand-drive version launches, marking Lantu’s entry into global RHD markets. Shao Mingfeng puts it plainly: “Battles still need to be fought, and sales must still be made one by one.”

One by one. No shortcuts.

Risk Warning and DisclaimerThe market is risky, investment must be cautious. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and has not accounted for individual users’ particular investment objectives, financial situations, or needs. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article fit their specific circumstances. Investing based on this is at your own responsibility. ```