BAIC and Huawei develop EREV variant of the Stelato S9 premium sedan in China

BAIC BluePark and Huawei are developing the EREV variant of the Stelato S9 premium sedan to amplify its domestic sales volume. The electric variant of this car entered China last year with a starting price of 399,800 yuan (54,850 USD). However, its sales were disappointing with 3,008 units delivered in three months.

Stelato S9 is an electric sedan jointly developed by BAIC’s electric car unit BAIC BluePark and Huawei. It stands on the BAIC-developed BE22 modular architecture. Huawei acts as a major hardware and software supplier for this project. Last year, it was disclosed that BAIC & Huawei aimed to sell 120,000 units of Stelato-branded cars per year. However, in the last three months of 2024, Stelato S9 sold slightly over 3,008 units.

Stelato S9 EREV

During the investor conference in China, BAIC BluePark officials disclosed that they are working on the EREV variant of the Stelato S9 sedan. The automaker didn’t provide further details about the project. However, BAIC currently has its own EREV powertrain system adopted by the BAIC BJ60 Thunder (see specs) body-on-frame SUV. The Stelato S9 EREV will highly likely adopt a similar powertrain system.

The BAIC BJ60 Thunder has a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine under the hood that acts as a generator. It doesn’t transfer any torque to the wheels, powering electric motors and a battery. The peak power of this ICE reaches 138 kW (185 hp). The BJ60 Thunder has a single ternary NMC battery for 40.3 kWh. This pack sends power to two electric motors. The front e-motor generates 153 kW (205 hp), and the rear motor has a peak power of 250 kW (335 hp).

It was previously mentioned that the Stelato S9 Estate will become the brand’s second model. As for the third car under the Stelato brand, it is going to be a large SUV. These cars will likely adopt EREV powertrain options.

Briefly on Stelato S9 EV

Stelato S9 is a large sedan with dimensions of 5160/1987/1486 mm and a wheelbase of 3050 mm. It has a low drag coefficient of just 0.193 Cd. For clarity, it is 56 mm shorter, 61 mm wider, and 26 mm lower than the Mercedes-Benz EQS. Inside, the Stelato S9 has four optional seats (five seats go standard), a large floating screen, an LCD instrument cluster, and an additional touchscreen for a front passenger.