The Maextro V800, a flagship luxury MPV from the brand jointly developed by Huawei and JAC. Credit: Maextro.
- The brake pedal bracket on the Maextro V800 luxury MPV broke during a test, sparking widespread controversy.
- Maextro had pledged to improve the component’s design and offer existing owners a free upgrade.
Three Chinese government agencies have formed a joint investigation team to examine brake pedal bracket failures involving the Maextro V800, a model jointly developed by Huawei and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp (JAC).
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement on Thursday that it would work with the Cyberspace Administration of China and the State Administration for Market Regulation to build on earlier inquiries and take action in accordance with laws and regulations.
The statement addressed brake pedal bracket failures during testing of the Maextro V800 and said further information would be released in a timely manner.
In a statement posted on Weibo, Maextro subsequently said that it would actively respond to and fully cooperate with the joint investigation team’s work.
Maextro is firmly committed to safeguarding consumers’ legitimate rights and interests and to upholding the overall interests of the new energy vehicle industry, the brand said.
The joint probe comes 1 week after automotive information platform Dongchedi published a video of the tests. Maextro has pledged to improve the design of the component.
In the video released on October 8, Dongchedi said brake pedal brackets broke in 3 V800 vehicles during emergency braking tests from 100 km/h to a standstill.
The testers said the failures prevented normal use of the brake pedal and that they brought the vehicles to a stop using the emergency braking function activated through the Park control. Both the descriptions of the failures and the stopping procedures came from the testers.
Maextro said in a response that day that no brake pedal bracket base failures had occurred in actual customer use since deliveries began, describing the conditions shown in the video as “non-standard extreme test conditions.”
The brand said its braking system had been developed and validated to requirements exceeding Chinese national and industry standards. It nevertheless pledged to improve the bracket base design and offer existing owners a free upgrade.
Maextro also said it would systematically review and strengthen design validation, testing parameters and production quality management. The joint statement from the 3 agencies did not comment on the testing methods or the brand’s earlier explanation.
The video sparked debate over vehicle safety and testing methods. Shares of JAC (SSE: 600418) closed down 10.01% at their daily limit on October 8 and continued to decline in subsequent trading.
Maextro, jointly developed by Huawei and JAC, is the highest-positioned brand in Huawei-led HIMA (Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance).
The V800 was launched on August 5 as a flagship MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), with prices announced at launch ranging from 766,000 yuan ($113,900) to 1,016,000 yuan. It targets the premium business travel market served by the Toyota Alphard and Lexus LM.
All 3 Maextro V800 MPVs tested by Dongchedi suffered brake pedal bracket failures during emergency braking, raising concerns about vehicle safety.
($1 = 6.7253 yuan)
