China’s newest electric car is basically a pumped-up Luxeed S7 with a Lincoln Continental butt on it
If you’ve never heard of Stelato, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Chinese automakers are introducing new brand names faster than ice cream flavors these days, so keeping up can be quite a challenge.
Stelato is the result of a new joint venture between technology giant Huawei and Chinese car manufacturer BAIC, and the S9 is the very first product. This large sedan, available in both pure-electric and electric-powered variants and a range-extender EV variant, made an early appearance at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), showing off its familiar styling and unveiling most of its technical specifications.
As part of their HIMA project, Huawei has formed a number of joint ventures with several Chinese automakers, including AITO (Seres), Luxeed (Chery), Stelato (BAIC) and the emerging Aojie (JAC). This explains the striking similarities between the Stelato S9 and the Luxeed S7.
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The Stelato S9 (top) and the Luxceed S7 (bottom)
The similarities between the two sedans are striking, suggesting that they were designed by the same team and could easily be confused as products from the same brand due to their shared styling cues. However, there are size differences, as well as slight variations in lighting units and unique badging. Nevertheless, we’ll forgive you for finding similarities with essentially dozens of other Chinese sedans of this size these days, not to mention that very Lincoln Continental-esque rear end.
The Stelato S9 is 5,160 mm (203.1 in) long, 1,987 mm (78.2 in) wide and 1,486 mm (58.5 in) high, with a wheelbase of 3,050 mm (120.1 in). This makes it 189mm (7.4in) longer than the Luxeed S7, with a further 100mm (3.9in) between the axles.
Compared to EVs from other brands, the Stelato S9 is 180 mm (7.1 in) longer than the Tesla Model S, but 63 mm (2.5 in) shorter than the Mercedes-Benz EQS sedan and 231 mm (9.1 in) ) shorter than the BMW i7.
The Stelato S9 will be available with fully electric powertrains and a range-extender powertrain, using Huawei-sourced electric motors and CATL batteries. The flagship features dual electric motors producing 304 PS (227 kW / 309 hp) and 212 PS (158 kW / 215 hp). It’s safe to assume that the sedan will inherit Huawei’s latest evolution in infotainment, connectivity and safety features. The photos show a roof-mounted Lidar, additional ADAS sensors on the front, side and rear, along with a set of optional mirror-replacement cameras.
Also coming to Europe
The public debut of the Stelato S9 is expected to take place at the Beijing Auto Show in April. According to Chinese media reports, the market launch will follow in June, with prices ranging between ¥300,000 and 500,000 (about $42,000 to $70,000 at current exchange rates). In addition to the initial rollout in China, BAIC plans to export the Stelato S9 to other markets in Asia and Europe.
