Huawei-backed HIMA deliveries halve in October as year-to-date growth turns negative

October figures and the year-to-date turnaround

Huawei-led Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) delivered 33,537 vehicles in October, down 50.84 per cent year on year and 10.54 per cent from September, according to figures released on Sunday and reported by CnEVPost. October marked the alliance's fifth consecutive month of year-on-year declines and its fourth straight month of sequential declines, with deliveries falling to their lowest level since April and the year-on-year decline widening from September's 29.15 per cent. ¹

The cumulative picture also flipped. In the first 10 months of 2026, HIMA delivered 400,766 vehicles, down 3.91 per cent year on year, turning year-to-date growth negative for the first time this year. By comparison, deliveries in the first nine months were still up 5.27 per cent, and growth over the first eight months had been 11.42 per cent, showing a steady erosion through the second half. ¹⁴

HIMA's own announcement, as reported by CnEVPost, did not provide an October delivery breakdown by brand or model. It did say the average transaction price across its lineup exceeded 400,000 yuan (about $59,580 at the exchange rate cited by CnEVPost) and that cumulative deliveries had surpassed 1.6 million vehicles. The figures are China-market deliveries as reported by the alliance; no registration, order or wholesale distinction is provided in the announcement. ¹

Context within a diverging Chinese market

CnEVPost's October roundup of major Chinese automakers places HIMA's 33,537 deliveries well behind the leaders: SAIC-GM-Wuling reported 142,757 global sales (including non-NEVs), Leapmotor delivered a record 106,127 vehicles and Xpeng topped 50,000 deliveries for the first time at 50,237. Xiaomi Auto delivered more than 50,000 vehicles without disclosing an exact figure, Nio delivered 34,246, Zeekr 32,483 and Li Auto 29,025. Nio, Li Auto and HIMA all posted year-on-year declines, while Xpeng, Leapmotor, Zeekr and Xiaomi grew. ²

The broader backdrop matters for interpretation. CNBC, citing China Passenger Car Association data as of September 27, reported that China's auto market is on track for its worst year since 2021, with sales down more than 20 per cent over roughly the first three quarters, and new energy vehicle sales down 13 per cent over that period. CnEVPost separately cited CPCA data showing China's vehicle retail sales have fallen year on year every month so far this year, with September down 28 per cent. These are market-level conditions; the sources do not attribute HIMA's specific decline to them. ⁵⁷

CNBC independently reported in October, based on its own calculations of publicly available HIMA figures, that September deliveries of Huawei-powered vehicles had dropped 29 per cent year on year for a third straight monthly decline, at just under 37,500 vehicles. That aligns with CnEVPost's September report of 37,490 vehicles, down 29.15 per cent year on year and 10.95 per cent from August. ⁵⁴

Earlier strength and the mid-year inflection

The trajectory is a sharp reversal. CnEVPost reported that HIMA delivered 46,122 vehicles in May, up 3.77 per cent year on year and 40.79 per cent from April, with first-five-month cumulative deliveries of about 192,000 units up 26.5 per cent year on year. That strength was credited to new-model launches: the new-generation Aito M9 SUV, launched May 27 at a starting price of 479,800 yuan, secured more than 20,000 firm orders within 24 hours, and the Luxeed V9 MPV, launched May 15 at 389,800 yuan, passed 10,500 firm orders within 48 hours. ⁶

Declines began after that point, with CnEVPost's monthly series showing year-on-year declines from June onwards, and AsiaAI.FYI's company profile noting HIMA partner-brand deliveries have fallen since June 2026 in what it describes as a crowded, price-cutting market. That characterisation is the profile's assessment; neither source establishes a single cause of the decline, and HIMA's announcement offers no explanation. ³⁶¹

Product activity and partnership changes coinciding with the slump

The decline has come despite a wave of product activity. CnEVPost reports that in September HIMA launched the Luxeed RX and the updated Luxeed R7, opened reservations for the Stelato V8 and began pre-sales of the updated Aito M8. The updated M8 opened pre-sales on September 30 at a starting pre-sales price of 389,800 yuan, 30,000 yuan above the previous version's starting list price, offering extended-range and battery-electric variants with CLTC range of up to 830 km for the BEV and up to 1,435 km combined for the EREV, per CnEVPost's report. These are China-market specifications and pre-sales figures; no Australian availability has been announced. ¹⁴

In parallel, Huawei and Seres are adjusting their cooperation on the Aito brand, HIMA's first and one of its most important sales contributors. The companies announced on September 15 that Aito would explore a new cooperation model within HIMA, led by Seres with support from Huawei, covering product definition, design, marketing, retail and service operations, and signed a new five-year agreement on September 30. Aito remains within HIMA, and Luxeed, Stelato, Maextro and Shangjie are outside the scope of these changes. ¹⁴

Reporting by CnEVPost, citing a 36Kr report of October 21, indicates Huawei has handed the lead on overseas models to the automakers: overseas versions of the Aito M6, M7, M8 and M9 are planned to use Bosch's driver assistance, smart cockpit and chassis solutions, with mass production of highway NOA functions tentatively set for September 2027. Seres vice president Kang Bo announced at the Paris Motor Show on October 12 that Aito would enter Europe in the fall of 2027 with four SUVs corresponding to China's M9, M8, M7 and M6. These are reported plans, not confirmed delivery timelines. ⁷

Huawei's wider position and what remains unknown

Huawei does not manufacture the vehicles itself, providing the software interface and driver-assist system to partners including Seres, Chery, BAIC, JAC and SAIC, CNBC reports. It describes the business as concentrated in China, with an intelligent automotive solutions unit generating at least $6.7 billion in revenue in 2025 per Huawei's annual report, cited by CNBC. CNBC contrasted HIMA's September slide with double-digit monthly gains for BYD and rapid growth at Leapmotor, whose deliveries have topped 100,000 vehicles a month since July. ⁵

Several material questions are unanswered by the October announcement. No brand-level or model-level October breakdown was published, so the contribution of Aito — whose sales CnEVPost has reported as weakening, with the M8's monthly deliveries falling for several consecutive months — cannot be quantified for October. The reasons for the widening decline, and any effect of the September partnership changes or of new-model transitions, are not stated in HIMA's announcement. Whether deliveries recover in November remains unreported as of the latest dated coverage. ¹⁴⁷