Huawei launches a car that is superior to Tesla and at half the price

 Charging for 15 minutes enables it to travel more than 400 kilometers

Huawei has launched a new electric car designed to compete with the Tesla Model S.

The Chinese tech giant began taking pre-orders for the Luxeed S7, its first sedan, on Thursday. Previously, it sold SUVs.

The car, developed with Chinese automaker Chery, is priced starting at 258,000 yuan ($35,400) during the pre-sale period. The company said in a press conference on Thursday that regular sales will begin on November 28.

A new car from Huawei

The comparison may be a bit of an exaggeration, says Mark Rainsford, a Shanghai-based automotive commentator who hosts the "Inside China Auto" channel on YouTube.

“Honestly, I think the comparisons to the Model S might be a bit ambitious for most of the metrics I can find information on,” Rainsford added, noting that some performance metrics haven't been fully released.

"But what makes the S7 stand out is the 800V platform, which should enable extremely fast charging. Tesla [isn't] using an 800V platform yet, so the S7 will have an advantage in that area," Rainsford said.

Richard Yu, head of the company's consumer division, unveiled the car in the greater city of Shenzhen, saying it is equipped with a powerful high-voltage battery. He had previously said that the S7 would outperform the Tesla Model S “in every aspect.”

A 15-minute charge will achieve a driving range of 400 kilometers (249 miles), according to Yu, which exceeds the 347 kilometers (about 216 miles) range of the Tesla Model S after a similar charging period.

“Our scope exceeds that of our peers,” he added.

Although the range comparison was not tested, it was possible because of the battery, Rainsford said.

At $35,400, the S7 is significantly cheaper than the base Model S, which costs 698,900 yuan or $95,800 in China.

Tesla was forced to cut prices in China recently in response to increasing competition in the world's largest car market.

The company's alternative plan

Although Huawei first made its name as a technology and communications giant, it has faced difficulties in recent years due to US export restrictions, which has thrown the company into disarray.

This year, she made no secret of her ambition to come back and make a splash in the automotive world. It launched its first electric car in 2021.

At an event in September, the company teased the S7 as well as the Aito M9, an electric SUV developed with another Chinese automaker, Seres.

The upgraded version of the Aito M7, which was first released last year, received more than 86,000 pre-orders in just 50 days, Yu said at the launch event.