BMW and Porsche Lose the Chinese Premium Market to a Little-Known Sedan (20 photos)
European premium brands, which had firmly held this segment of the Chinese market, are losing ground to pressure from local brands. This is the conclusion reached by Bloomberg analysts based on sales of the Maextro S800 sedan, developed specifically to compete with Mercedes-Benz. By the end of November, this brand's only model was significantly ahead of its German rivals. 
According to analysts, more Maextro S800s were purchased in China in November than the BMW 7 Series and Porsche Panamera combined. Furthermore, the debut four-door sedan from the brand created by Huawei and JAC outsold the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, including Maybach variants. The manufacturer claims to currently sell more than 2,000 sedans per month, but expects to at least double that figure.
Analysts cite a comparable level of luxury and optional equipment at a more affordable price as one of the Maextro S800's main market advantages. The S800, which is nearly 5.5 meters long, starts at approximately 700,000 yuan. Meanwhile, a BMW 7 Series starts at 920,000 yuan, a Panamera costs at least 1.1 million yuan, and the base S-Class is priced at almost 1.5 million yuan. The Chinese sedan is available as an electric car with a 530-horsepower engine combination and a range of over 700 km, or as a hybrid, whose engines can produce the same 530 or 863 hp. This version has a range of up to 400 km on electric power alone.
The Huawei-JAC alliance began shipping commercial S800s in August. Maextro announced the assembly and sale of the 10,000th unit in mid-December, handing over the iconic car to the famous actor Jet Li. Sales volumes are reportedly growing steadily, but this positive trend may be partly due to the upcoming reduction in government subsidies for electric vehicle purchases in China.
To maintain its expansion trend, Maextro will expand its model lineup with new offerings in 2026. The brand plans to introduce several crossovers and minivans, which will be offered in various wheelbases. 
