Chery’s luxury EV brand Luxeed confirmed for NZ in 2027, without Huawei tech

Chery’s luxury EV brand Luxeed is coming to New Zealand around the middle of 2027, and the cars sold here will carry no Huawei hardware or software.

It joins a growing number of premium electric brands in this market. BYD’s Denza, Geely’s Zeekr and Polestar are already here, and Chery has also confirmed its Exlantix premium brand for New Zealand.

Luxeed International CEO Shawn Xu, who is also CEO of Omoda & Jaecoo, outlined the plan to New Zealand, Australian and UK media, including us, in Wuhu, China, after the brand’s global launch at the 2026 Chery International User Summit.

Right-hand drive first

Brands from left-hand-drive markets rarely start overseas in right-hand drive, but Luxeed developed its first export model, the LLounge (pronounced El-lounge) MPV, for right-hand drive from the start. Thailand gets it first, early next year, followed by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. New Zealand and Australia are due around the middle of 2027, with the UK a little later.

“For this launch we developed right-hand drive first,” Xu says. “We are going to cover all of the right-hand-drive markets.”

Speaking about Australia, which is on the same timing as New Zealand, he says: “I propose the end of Q2, the middle of next year, for this first model.” The LLounge will go through Australian testing before it goes on sale there.

No Huawei inside

In China, Luxeed is part of the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, and its cars use Huawei’s driver assistance, HarmonyOS cockpit and drive systems. Xu says none of that will be exported.

“For international, Luxeed is not related to Huawei. There is nothing, including the hardware and the software.”

His comments match a 36Kr report, carried by CnEVPost today. According to that report, Luxeed’s overseas models will use Chery’s own electrical architecture, with Chery’s Falcon driver assistance and Lingxi cockpit, and Chery’s central R&D institute is handling the development work.

The change is part of a wider shift. According to the same report, Huawei has handed responsibility for overseas models of its Harmony alliance brands to the carmakers themselves, and AITO’s export models will use Bosch technology instead.

The export cars also have different styling from the Chinese versions. “We believe we understand international customers better,” Xu says. “The Chinese design is more considered for Chinese tastes.”

Two flagships

Luxeed showed two models at the launch. The LLounge, sold in China as the V9, is a large luxury MPV with six- and seven-seat layouts. In China it is a range-extended EV with a 53.4kWh battery, a claimed 1320km CLTC combined range and a 3250mm wheelbase. Its second-row zero-gravity seats rotate a full 180 degrees and recline to 123 degrees, and the privacy glass darkens in one second. The cabin also has a Privacy Acoustic Shield mode and a 33-speaker sound system.

The Stormax, sold in China as the RX, is a performance SUV on an 800-volt architecture. Its dual motors produce 460kW and 775Nm. Luxeed claims 0-100km/h in under 3.9 seconds, a top speed above 250km/h and a 100-0km/h stop in under 34m on six-piston front callipers.

Both cars use dual-chamber air suspension, dual-valve CDC dampers and up to 7 degrees of rear-wheel steering. Luxeed has not confirmed export powertrain specifications, which matters given that the export cars drop Huawei hardware.

Building the network

Xu is not setting big volume targets for the first year. “In the first year we don’t expect too much from a luxury brand, but we want to build a good brand in Australia,” he says. “We prefer to start slowly and build a good foundation.”

The brand will use conventional dealerships, starting in major cities. “Australia is still a traditional store market, so at the beginning we need to build some good stores in tier-one cities to give us coverage,” he says. “We welcome our current dealers if they have good performance and are interested in investing. We have seen many potential dealers, some from our current network and some new. We have already approached some, and in some markets we have made a lot of progress.”

Luxeed also adds to a growing list of Chery Group brands for New Zealand. Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo are already on sale here, the Exlantix premium brand has been confirmed, and iCAUR is also due in 2027.

Xu describes Luxeed as a different proposition from Chery’s volume brands. “Luxeed is a premium brand, so it is different to a value brand and targets different customers,” he says. “It brings together luxury, full electrification, intelligence and the driving experience. There are not many brands that combine those, and that is where we see the big opportunity.”