Huawei Aito M7 (electric car)

2022: Crash test failure from China Insurance Research Institute

In early November 2022, Huawei's Aito M7 crossover passed a crash test from the Chinese Insurance Research Institute. The car had problems with maintainability and strength in a collision with a 25% overlap.

Aito is a joint project between Seres and Huawei. Its name is an acronym that means "Adding Intelligence to Auto." In this joint brand, Huawei supplies "brains," electric motors and some other parts. And Seres cares about production.

Aito M7

The Aito M7 crossover is a full-size SUV EREV (range-extender) with dimensions of 5020/1945/1775 mm and a wheelbase of 2820 mm. This car is an electrified version of the Dongfeng Fengguang ix7 crossover. The Aito M7 is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that powers only the battery.

By November 2022, there are two versions of the M7. The first comes with one electric motor on the rear axle at 200 kW (272 hp) and 360 Nm. The second has two electric motors with a total power of 330 kW (449 hp) and 660 Nm. All versions of the M7 are equipped with a 40- kVt⋅ch Li-NMC battery manufactured by CATL. The M7 RWD can travel up to 195 km in all-electric mode (WLTC) and 1.1 thousand km with a range extender. As for the M7 AWD, its range on an all-electric engine is 165 km (WLTC), and on a hybrid - 1 thousand km.

Huawei's first car fails crash tests

The Insurance Research Institute launched an evaluation and rating program called the China Insurance Automotive Safety Index (C-IASI) back in 2017. For November 2022, many cars received a C-IASI rating. It includes four categories: collision safety and economy, passenger safety, car safety and active safety. According to the results of the crash test, the car receives one of four ratings. The letter "G" is excellent, "A" is good, "M" is medium, and "P" is bad.

Research institute experts crashed an entry-level Aito M7 car with an FWD system. Its overall performance is average. He received three "Gs" for passenger safety, pedestrian safety and active safety. In terms of collision resistance and economy, the Aito M7 is rated M. According to C-IASI, maintainability and cost-effectiveness in maintenance are average (M) and collision compatibility is good (A).

Moreover, the Aito M7 had some problems in a 25% displacement head-on collision at 64km/h. His A-post was deformed. In a real-life crash, the M7's A-post appears to be unable to withstand a heavy blow. In general, the test result of the Aito M7 is not satisfactory for a car with a price of more than $41 thousand.^[1]

Notes