Dongfeng Motor and Huawei's first jointly developed flagship SUV, the Yijing X9, has passed a 61-kilometre (38-mile) live-streamed autonomous-driving test in the hilly southwestern city of Chongqing, according to Chinese EV outlet 电动邦 (Dian Dong Bang). The September 11 event involved more than 100 media professionals broadcasting simultaneously from multiple vehicles, with no editing or scripted sequences, marking the first time a Chinese automaker has staged such a large-scale public validation of its driver-assistance technology.
Huawei ADS 5 under pressure
The test route covered some of Chongqing's most demanding roads, including multi-level interchanges, narrow old-town lanes, tunnel clusters and mountain switchbacks. The Yijing X9, equipped with Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5 (advanced driver assistance system), completed the route without any reported driver interventions. The system relies on a sensor suite of 32 components, including four lidar units, 11 cameras and distributed 4D millimetre-wave radar, providing redundancy in low-light or glare conditions.
Huawei's ADS 5 uses the WEWA 2.0 architecture, trained on over 15 billion kilometres of road-test data, with cloud simulation upgraded from single-vehicle to group interactions, increasing scenario complexity tenfold. The CAS 5.0 collision-avoidance system covers forward AEB (autonomous emergency braking) from 1 to 150 km/h (1 to 93 mph), rear AEB from 1 to 60 km/h (1 to 37 mph), and lateral collision avoidance from 10 to 130 km/h (6 to 81 mph).
The Yijing X9 also features Huawei's HarmonySpace 6 cockpit and a 75-inch augmented-reality head-up display, which projects navigation and hazard warnings onto the windshield. The vehicle rides on Huawei's XMC six-domain digital chassis, integrating power, braking, steering, suspension, body and thermal management, paired with an all-aluminium chassis, dual-chamber air suspension and continuously variable damping.
Pre-orders strong, launch imminent
Pre-orders for the Yijing X9 opened on August 18, with 21,235 orders placed in the first 24 hours. The SUV is scheduled to go on sale later this month. It is positioned as a "second-generation family flagship" six-seater, built on Dongfeng's 57 years of vehicle manufacturing experience combined with Huawei's full-stack intelligent vehicle solutions.
The live-streamed test is part of a broader push by Chinese automakers to prove the reliability of their driver-assistance systems in real-world conditions, rather than relying on staged demonstrations. By allowing multiple media outlets to broadcast simultaneously on the same route, Dongfeng and Huawei aimed to eliminate any possibility of cherry-picking favourable footage, a move that underscores growing confidence in China's autonomous-driving technology.
Pricing for the Yijing X9 has not yet been announced, but the model is expected to compete in the premium large-SUV segment, where rivals include Li Auto's L9 and Aito's M9. The partnership between Dongfeng, a state-owned automaker, and Huawei, China's leading tech firm in automotive intelligence, reflects a trend of traditional manufacturers teaming up with technology companies to accelerate the development of smart EVs.
