Luxeed Moves Toward Independent Vehicle Production License

Luxeed Moves Toward an Independent Vehicle Production License

Luxeed, the electric vehicle brand jointly established by Huawei and Chery, is moving toward obtaining its own vehicle production license in China, a step that could support greater operational independence. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) included Luxeed among proposed new vehicle manufacturers in batch 412 of its motor vehicle manufacturers and products announcement, published on Friday. The public comment period is scheduled to run through October 23. A Luxeed insider confirmed to Yicai on Saturday that the brand also plans a standalone listing in the future, although the source article does not provide a timetable or further details for that potential listing.

Chery Plant Transfer Underpins Luxeed's License Application

The MIIT notice identifies Luxeed's production address as No. 8 Wanjiang Avenue, Wuhu Economic and Technological Development Zone, Anhui province, and describes the company as a member of Chery Group. In the same announcement attachment, Chery applied to deregister that production address. The simultaneous filings indicate that the license application involves transferring an existing plant's production capacity and production-entity status to Luxeed rather than adding a new facility. Yicai quoted an insider saying, "It is Chery's plant that was given to Luxeed." The insider said Luxeed would obtain its independent license after the public comment period concludes and approval is granted; the application is not yet confirmed as approved in the supplied report.

Voyah Makes a Comparable Production-Address Change

The same MIIT announcement batch includes a similar change involving Voyah, a unit of Dongfeng Motor Group. Voyah's newly approved production addresses include No. 8 Yunfeng Avenue, Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, while Dongfeng Motor deregistered the same plant address at the same time. The parallel filings provide another example of a vehicle brand moving toward a separate production-entity arrangement through an existing manufacturing site. However, the source does not establish that Luxeed and Voyah have identical corporate arrangements or that every procedural detail is the same. For Luxeed, the central development remains the proposed transfer of Chery's existing Wuhu production address and the pending independent-license approval.

Independent Licensing Could Change Luxeed Vehicle Badging

If the license is approved, new Luxeed vehicles are expected to carry the Luxeed badge instead of the current Chery badge. The reported change would resemble Nio's transition from vehicles bearing the name of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp. (JAC) to vehicles carrying the Nio name after Nio obtained its own production license. This comparison concerns the branding outcome associated with independent production status; it does not mean the companies share the same ownership structure or licensing history. The expected badge change remains conditional on approval of Luxeed's application, and the supplied report does not specify when vehicles with the revised badging would reach production or dealerships.

Luxeed's Vehicle Lineup and Business Structure

Luxeed was jointly created by Chery and Huawei. Its first model, the S7, launched in November 2023, and the R7 followed in September 2024. The lineup also includes the V9 multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and the RX all-electric coupe SUV, which launched on September 28, according to the source article. In 2024, Chery upgraded the Luxeed division into an independent business unit with separate accounting and autonomous operations. The unit was assigned responsibility for the full process of research and development, production, and sales. These steps preceded the current production-license development and form part of the brand's gradual move toward more independent operations within the wider Chery-Huawei cooperation.

Company Establishment and Brand Strategy 2.0

Anhui Luxeed New Energy Vehicle Co. Ltd. was established in Wuhu on January 23, 2025, with registered capital of 1 billion yuan, reported as approximately $149 million. Chery was its sole shareholder at establishment. On August 7, 2025, Chery and Huawei signed the Luxeed brand strategy 2.0 cooperation agreement in Shenzhen. Under the plan disclosed at that time, the two companies would invest more than 10 billion yuan in Luxeed research and development, expand the R&D team to 5,000 people, and pursue integrated, independent operations spanning R&D, production, sales, and service. These commitments describe the announced strategy; the source does not confirm that all investment, staffing, or operating targets have already been completed.

Leadership Changes and Shareholding Developments

Luxeed's management structure has changed substantially in 2026. In January, Zhao Changjiang, formerly general manager of BYD's Denza sales division, joined the brand as executive director and executive vice president. In April, Guo Rui, formerly chief marketing officer of Huawei's consumer business for Greater China and global CMO of smartphone brand Honor, became Luxeed's chairman and CEO, replacing former chairman Yu Jiufeng. At the end of June, Luxeed completed business registration changes that reduced Chery's stake from 100% to 85%. Two equity investment partnerships in Wuhu each held 7.5%. After tracing the ownership structure, the source reported that Guo indirectly held about 6% and Zhao about 4.5%.

Luxeed Vehicle Sales Show Contrasting Annual Trends

Luxeed sold 90,493 vehicles in 2025, representing a 56% increase year over year. Its cumulative sales for the first nine months of 2026 totaled 43,623 vehicles, down 24.50% year over year. The figures show that the brand's reported annual growth in 2025 was followed by a decline during the first three quarters of 2026. The source does not provide a breakdown by model, monthly sales figures, or an explanation for the decrease, so the reported totals alone cannot establish which vehicles or factors drove the change. The pending production license, organizational changes, and sales performance are separate developments; the available information does not demonstrate a direct causal relationship among them.

What the Independent License Means for Luxeed

The proposed license would give Luxeed its own status as a vehicle production entity using the transferred Chery plant address, subject to the conclusion of the public comment process and official approval. That distinction matters because the brand has already developed a separate business unit, established a dedicated company, changed its shareholding structure, revised its leadership, and announced a broader cooperation strategy with Huawei. Nevertheless, an independent production license should not be confused with complete ownership independence: the source reports that Chery retained an 85% stake after the June registration changes. The insider's statement about a future standalone listing indicates an intention, not a completed listing or a confirmed schedule.

Industry Impact & Outlook

Luxeed's application illustrates how a jointly developed automotive brand can move toward a distinct production identity while retaining substantial ties to its manufacturing partner. If approved, the license could clarify Luxeed's role as a production entity and support the planned separation of its operations and vehicle branding, while Chery would remain its majority shareholder based on the reported June ownership structure. The announced R&D investment and staffing ambitions also show the scale of the partners' stated development plans, although implementation remains unverified in the source. For China's automotive market, the immediate milestone is the license decision following the October 23 comment-period deadline; the timing of any standalone listing, badge transition, or further corporate changes remains unspecified.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is happening with Luxeed's vehicle production license?
Luxeed has been listed as a proposed new vehicle manufacturer in China's MIIT batch 412 announcement, placing its application within a public comment process. The notice identifies the existing Chery plant address in Wuhu, Anhui province, as Luxeed's production address, while Chery applied to deregister that same address. A Luxeed insider told Yicai that approval is expected after the comment period ends, but the supplied report does not confirm that the independent license has already been granted. The public comment period runs through October 23.

Why is Chery transferring its existing plant address to Luxeed?
The simultaneous filings indicate that Luxeed's application relies on transferring an existing production site's capacity and production-entity status rather than establishing a new manufacturing address. The MIIT notice lists the Wuhu plant under Luxeed and describes the company as a member of Chery Group, while Chery seeks to deregister that address. An insider quoted by Yicai characterized the arrangement as Chery giving its plant to Luxeed. The source does not provide further operational details about the transfer or describe any physical relocation of the facility.

Will new Luxeed vehicles carry a different badge?
New vehicles are expected to change their badge from Chery to Luxeed if the brand receives its independent production license. The reported expectation is comparable to Nio's earlier transition from JAC badging to Nio badging after Nio obtained its own production license. This is an anticipated consequence, not a confirmed completed change. The supplied article does not state when revised-badge vehicles would enter production or reach customers, and the timing depends on the relevant approval and implementation steps. The reported license application should therefore be distinguished from a finalized vehicle-badging transition.

Which vehicles are included in the Luxeed lineup?
The reported Luxeed lineup includes the S7, R7, V9 MPV, and RX all-electric coupe SUV, reflecting several vehicle formats within the brand's portfolio. The S7 launched in November 2023, followed by the R7 in September 2024. The V9 is identified as a multi-purpose vehicle, while the RX is described as an all-electric coupe SUV that launched on September 28. The source does not provide detailed specifications, prices, or model-by-model sales figures, so those details cannot be established from the reported lineup information alone.

What are Chery and Huawei planning for Luxeed?
Under the Luxeed brand strategy 2.0 agreement signed on August 7, 2025, Chery and Huawei announced plans to invest more than 10 billion yuan in research and development and expand the R&D team to 5,000 people. The strategy also called for integrated, independent operations across research and development, production, sales, and service. These are announced plans rather than confirmed completion figures. The source does not specify how much of the proposed investment has been spent, whether the staffing target has been reached, or when the partners expect every operational change to be fully implemented.

How did Luxeed's vehicle sales change in 2026?
Luxeed sold 90,493 vehicles in 2025, up 56% year over year, but its cumulative sales during the first nine months of 2026 declined to 43,623 units. That nine-month total represented a 24.50% year-over-year decrease, according to the source article. The figures indicate a different sales trend across the two reported periods, but they do not explain the reason for the decline. No model-level breakdown, monthly series, or causal analysis is provided, so the available data cannot establish which products or market conditions contributed to the change.