• The Aito M8 is a mid-sized three-row EREV (extended range electric vehicle) premium crossover. 
• The Aito M8 was officially unveiled in March for Chinese consumers, but it’s already on Huawei showroom floors.
• The M8 starts at just under $50,000 in China. 

They call it “China Speed.”

This can refer to a lot of things: the Chinese auto industry’s short development cycles, or how quickly new models can show up, or just how quickly they can add new tech via over-the-air software updates, like Deepseek AI. When I first heard the term, I was astounded by the Li Auto L6. The car was unveiled right before the Beijing Auto Show. However, consumers didn’t have to wait at all; a stroll to the Li Auto dealership near my hotel revealed a brand-new L6 already there in the showroom, all set for customers eager to arrange financing.

Welp, China’s done it again. Just weeks after its debut event and before the official first day of the Shanghai Auto show, another crossover was already in stores. This time, it is the Aito M8.

Aito is another brand owned by Huawei, the Chinese smartphone and tech giant. And its Aito M8 is a new extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) that sits near the top of that range. (The M8 sits below the M9, but above the M7 and M5, if you follow the market.)

Like other Aito products, the crossover marries a 1.5-liter turbo engine and a battery for a combined range of up to 948 miles (1,526 kilometers). The biggest draw of Aito vehicles is that they’re part of the HIMA alliance. Huawei essentially acts as a full-stack tech provider, powering the Aito vehicles with the same Harmony OS used on its phones.

Thus, the cars themselves can be purchased at some Huawei stores alongside the computers, phones and other tech devices it sells. Xiaomi does this too with its new cars like the SU7.

The M8’s initial impressions are strong. Like most other Chinese luxury cars, the car is chock-full of screens and soft-touch materials that all look and feel impressive. 

Arguably, the car is secondary to the whole point of this article. It’s fascinating to see a manufacturer get a car from its unveiling to dealership lots within just a few weeks. For the rest of the world, there’s a long time from where a car goes from concept to production and then to the customer’s driveways; sometimes, it’s a year or more.

For example, the Honda Prelude Prototype was unveiled in mid-2023, yet no one has gotten their hands on it. The Aito M8 was officially unveiled by the brand in March. You can order one right now and it’ll be ready for delivery.

Photo by: InsideEVs

That’s a really, really big deal. Perhaps the slowness to market among non-Chinese brands is that’s part of the reason why they’ve been losing out in this market. What would the American car market look like if our auto manufacturers were quicker with introducing cars to the market? 

If the rest of the world wants to catch up, it needs to match China on speed, and not just software and batteries. 

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