A video was released showing the brake pedal arms breaking on all 3 Huawei Maextro V800 vehicles during an emergency braking test. The vehicles are produced by JAC Motors, with Huawei providing the electrification technology, and the top-end model is reportedly priced at approximately ¥1.016 million.
A video of an emergency braking test run involving Huawei’s luxury MPV, the Maextro V800, which has attracted attention in the Chinese market, was released, and the brake pedal arms were confirmed to have broken on all 3 vehicles. The model is produced by JAC Motors, with Huawei providing electric powertrain technology. The vehicle’s top-end model was reportedly being sold for ¥1.016 million.
According to an examination of the video, the pedal arm on the first vehicle broke during the third emergency braking attempt, the second vehicle’s broke during the fourth, and the third vehicle’s broke during the second. Only the single-layer support plate was damaged, and the maximum pedal force was 1,612 newtons. This is below China’s maximum safety standard of 2,000 newtons, prompting some to point to a structural weakness compared with the reinforcement plates used in other models.
Maextro described the test as a “non-standard extreme test” and claimed that no breakage had occurred during actual use. The company said it would improve the component design and provide free upgrades to existing customers. Some experts suggested deficiencies in the load design and pointed to the possibility that the short development period had led to the testing process being abbreviated.
Reports said JAC Motors’ share price fell sharply in response from the market and regulatory authorities, and there was also information that some customers had moved to cancel contracts at Huawei vehicle dealerships. The issue spread further, with authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region criticizing the non-standard test. The video circulated on Weibo and other platforms but is now unavailable in searches.