The 2025 Guangzhou Auto Show boasted an unprecedentedly high "Huawei presence." Not only did it mark the debut of Hongmeng Zhixing's "Five Realms," but it also showcased the "Jing" brand series for the first time. This series was co-created by Huawei's Automotive Business Unit (BU) and various automakers.

On the eve of the auto show's opening, at the Huawei Qiankun Ecosystem Conference, Huawei's Automotive BU and Dongfeng officially unveiled the new brand "Yijing." As the inaugural achievement of the "HI Plus" mode, jointly led by a central enterprise and Huawei's Automotive BU, "Yijing" has garnered significant attention. The "HI Plus" mode represents the fourth collaboration model between Huawei's "HI" mode and the "Smart Selection" mode with automakers. It emphasizes "automaker leadership with deep Huawei integration," de-emphasizing the sales end, strengthening the development end, and empowering the entire process. It aligns more closely with the Smart Selection mode, though without marketing through Huawei stores.

It's worth noting that the "HI Plus" mode originated from an innovative collaboration between Dongfeng and Huawei three years ago. Wang Junjun, General Manager of Dongfeng Eπ Automotive Technology Company, revealed, "Since 2023, we've embarked on an unprecedented industry-wide full-process, deep cooperation with Huawei. We share a common goal and are committed, determined to leverage the best resources from both sides, from R&D to production." In this context, Yijing represents Huawei Qiankun's "first realm."

Three years on, with the launch of the "Yijing" brand, Dongfeng and Huawei's innovative mode has reached a stage of comprehensive advancement. The key question moving forward is whether this first realm can also become the market leader.

01 15-Year Cooperation Reaches New Heights

Dongfeng and Huawei have a long-standing cooperation history, dating back to 2010 when they began exploring the IT&ICT field. In 2018, they signed a strategic agreement to jointly develop next-generation intelligent connected vehicle technologies. Since then, their cooperation has deepened, yielding remarkable results across Dongfeng's independent and joint venture brands.

In January 2024, VOYAH and Huawei signed a strategic cooperation agreement, announcing their joint efforts to create an intelligent travel experience and accelerate the commercialization of intelligent technologies through cooperative models. Subsequently, they launched the VOYAH Dreamer Qiankun Edition, VOYAH FREE+, VOYAH Zhiyin, and the recently launched VOYAH Taishan, all achieving impressive market performance. VOYAH has also successfully joined the "10,000-unit club."

Dongfeng Mengshi also partnered with Huawei in 2024, jointly launching the Mengshi M817 as the first luxury electric off-road vehicle equipped with Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving ADS 4.0 system. It achieved a record 9,713 pre-orders within one hour of its presale.

In the joint venture sector, in November 2024, Dongfeng Nissan officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei, becoming the first joint venture brand to fully integrate Huawei's Hongmeng cockpit system. This April, the Dongfeng Nissan N7, equipped with Huawei's Hongmeng cockpit system, became an instant hit after its launch, becoming the first joint venture pure electric model to achieve "over 10,000 deliveries in a single month."

The deep cooperation between multiple Dongfeng brands and Huawei has yielded excellent market results, heightening anticipation for the arrival of the new brand "Yijing."

The inception of "Yijing" can be traced back to 2023 when Dongfeng Motor launched its new energy "Leap Action," driven by a group integration strategy. Through the establishment of Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Sales Co., Ltd., it began promoting the synergistic advancement of three major brands: Dongfeng Fengshen, Dongfeng Eπ, and Dongfeng Nano. While promoting passenger vehicle business integration, Dongfeng also considered how to create a new series focused on intelligence for the mainstream family segment through deep cooperation with Huawei, leading to the emergence of the "Yijing" brand and the DH project.

Over the past three years, the DH project has operated quietly while Dongfeng Motor further integrated the Fengshen, Eπ, and Nano brands. Starting this year, with the formal establishment of Dongfeng Eπ Automotive Technology Company, the DH project has accelerated its pace, making frequent strategic moves.

Early this year, Dongfeng Eπ and Huawei signed a strategic cooperation agreement for intelligent vehicles in Shenzhen. In March, Dongfeng Eπ held a DH Joint Innovation Project Channel Operation Launch Conference in Wuhan, upgrading its channel network by drawing on Huawei's new retail system experience and building a standardized system covering the entire terminal operation process to pave the way for future cooperative model sales.

In April, "Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Technology (Chengdu) Co., Ltd." was officially established to undertake the production tasks of the DH project's cooperative models. In May, both parties signed a comprehensive deepening strategic cooperation agreement in Wuhan, expanding the cooperation scope to core technology areas such as intelligent assisted driving, intelligent cockpit, and intelligent vehicle control. They also jointly established an innovation laboratory to promote deep collaboration in vehicle software platforms, intelligent driving R&D, and AI applications.

In June, the DH project launched a special talent recruitment drive. In September, the first model completed extreme high-temperature testing at 70°C in Turpan, Xinjiang, and conducted KOC joint creation research. In October, Dongfeng and Huawei jointly announced a public solicitation for the Chinese brand name and LOGO of the DH project. Until November 20, on the eve of the Guangzhou Auto Show, the DH project officially debuted as the "Yijing" brand.

02 A New Deep Cooperation Mode Behind "Yijing"

At the strategic launch conference held by Eπ Technology this August, a clear positioning was established for its brands. The Eπ brand is divided into two major product series: mainstream technology and intelligent boutique, catering to the needs of mainstream young users and mid-to-high-end markets. The Fengshen brand focuses on the global energy-saving family vehicle market, while the intelligent boutique refers to the "Yijing" brand created by Eπ Technology and Huawei.

Wang Junjun stated that during the creation of "Yijing," Dongfeng fully committed to its cooperation with Huawei. "Huawei deeply integrated its most advanced IPD and IPMS global quality standards, along with mature supply chain management experience, into Yijing. Meanwhile, Dongfeng brought its 56-year legacy of serving over 60 million users," Wang said.

Over the past three years, Dongfeng and Huawei have concentrated their superior resources, investing billions of yuan, working as one team, and having top experts tackle difficult problems together. Wang revealed a detail, "For a 0.5-millimeter difference in the headlights, both sides polished over 20 solutions to achieve the most perfect state."

Besides its deep cooperation with Huawei, "Yijing" is also Dongfeng's first brand where users are deeply involved in joint creation. This co-creation is not only reflected in the brand naming but also in Dongfeng's extensive invitation to potential users nationwide as joint creators to participate in the creation of Yijing's new models. From headlight colors, air conditioning outlet materials to blowing angles, hundreds of optimizations stem from real user proposals and creativity.

It is reported that the "Yijing" brand has planned a complete product line covering different market segments. All models will be equipped with Huawei's latest-generation Qiankun Intelligent Driving, Hongmeng cockpit, and other technological achievements, as well as full-stack intelligent solutions like Qiankun vehicle control, in-vehicle optics, and vehicle-cloud integration. According to previously disclosed information, the first model of "Yijing" is a high-end, intelligent, full-size SUV, scheduled to officially debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April next year and go on sale within the year. Subsequently, "Yijing" will launch at least one new model annually.

According to official data, Eπ Technology's sales reached 31,107 units in October, up 34.9% year-on-year, surpassing 30,000 units for two consecutive months. The cumulative sales in the first 10 months were approximately 221,400 units, up 43.6% year-on-year, demonstrating significant results from strategic integration. With the arrival of "Yijing," it will further assist Eπ Technology in opening up a broader market in the mainstream segment.