Core Insights - Huawei and Chery have upgraded their collaboration, marking a new phase for the Zhijie brand, with plans to invest over 10 billion yuan in R&D over the next three years [1] - The core of this strategic upgrade is the independent operation of Zhijie New Energy Company, transitioning from deep cooperation with Huawei to a more market-oriented structure [1] - Huawei will lead product definition, sales channels, and after-sales service, while Chery will focus on production and supply chain management, establishing a division of labor [1] Investment and Development Plans - The partnership will establish dual design centers in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and a R&D center in Wuhu, creating a multi-location collaborative R&D system [3] - Zhijie Super Factory will implement Huawei's quality control standards, achieving 100% automation in stamping, welding, and painting processes, with production efficiency reaching one new car per minute [3] Product Launch and Market Strategy - The Zhijie R7 and S7 facelift models will start pre-orders on August 8, with starting prices of 268,000 yuan and 258,000 yuan respectively, and the new models have already seen over 10,000 pre-orders within the first hour [5] - Zhijie brand sales reached 45,000 units in the first half of the year, trailing behind other brands under Hongmeng Zhixing, with only 30% of the sales of the Wanjie brand during the same period [7] Competitive Landscape - The Zhijie brand faces increasing competition from new electric SUV models, including the recently launched LeDao L90 and upcoming models like LeDao L80 and Li Auto i6 [7] - The future success of the Zhijie brand post-independence remains uncertain, particularly in light of the competitive market dynamics [7]