Huawei claims the new model surpasses Tesla’s Model S “in every technical spec.”

CNN reported that Huawei has officially launched a new electric vehicle (EV) model designed to compete head-on with Elon Musk’s Tesla.

The Chinese tech giant began taking pre-orders for the Luxeed S7, its first sedan, on Thursday. In fact, Huawei used to sell SUVs.

The Luxeed S7, developed with Chinese automaker Chery, has a starting price of 258,000 yuan ($35,400) during pre-sale. The company said during a press conference on Thursday that regular sales will begin on Nov. 28.

Richard Yu, the company’s chief consumer officer, appeared with a sleek four-wheeler, equipped with a powerful high-voltage battery pack, on stage in Shenzhen. He previously said the S7 would surpass Tesla’s Model S “in every spec.”

But Mark Rainford, a Shanghai-based auto industry commentator who owns the YouTube channel “Inside China Auto,” said such comparisons “might be a bit far-fetched.”

“Honestly, I think the comparison with the Model S might be a bit ambitious for most of the information metrics that I can find,” he told CNN. Rainford also noted that some performance figures have not been fully released by the company.

“The highlight of the S7 is its 800-volt platform, which allows for very fast charging. Tesla hasn’t even used an 800-volt platform yet, so the S7 will have an edge in this area,” Rainford said.

According to Yu, the S7’s 800-volt battery pack, the thinnest battery in the industry, is made by Chinese electric vehicle battery giant CATL.

According to Yu, a 15-minute charge will give the car a driving range of 400 kilometers (249 miles), surpassing the 347 kilometers (about 216 miles) range of Tesla’s Model S after a similar charging period.

He added: “Our 1-charge driving range is far ahead of our peers.”

Rainford said while the range comparison hasn’t been tested, it could happen because of the battery. Tesla could have an advantage thanks to its strong Supercharger network in China, where there are many stations, he said. “The ease of finding a good charger … It’s just as important as the driving range of the car.”

However, at the equivalent of $35,400, the S7 is much cheaper than the most basic Model S, which costs 698,900 yuan, or $95,800 in China.

Tesla has recently been forced to cut vehicle prices in China in response to growing competition in the world’s largest auto market.

Push with cars

Although Huawei first made a name for itself as a tech and telecommunications giant, in recent years it has struggled due to U.S. export restrictions, which tipped the company into recession.

This year, the company has made no secret of its ambition to get back on track – and make a splash in the car world. They launched their first electric vehicle in 2021.

At an event in September, the company teased the launch of the S7 as well as the Aito M9, an electric SUV developed in conjunction with another Chinese automaker, Seres.

Yu said at the launch event that the upgraded version of the Aito M7, first announced last year, received more than 86,000 pre-orders in just 50 days.

According to Huawei, the S7 aims to cater to female drivers with many amenities such as a specialized cosmetics compartment, a mirror for makeup and a place to store high heels when they switch to flat-soled shoes to drive.