The Maextro S800, an 18-foot Chinese luxury sedan packed with 40 speakers, a 40-inch screen, and self-parking technology, costs $173,000—half the price of a starter Mercedes-Maybach and a quarter of what a basic Rolls-Royce runs in the U.S.
Chinese automakers know they lack the heritage of European luxury brands, so they’re compensating with overwhelming gadgetry. Built by more than 1,000 robots in Hefei and powered by Huawei technology, the Maextro opens doors with fist gestures detected by cameras and features reclining back seats with massage functions. “This is a maxed-out car for a very affordable price,” Thomas Luk, a strategy consultant and car expert, told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s definitely challenging the Maybach and the 7-series BMW.”
More than 17,000 Maextro cars were sold in the first year since its May 2025 launch, with buyers including entrepreneurs and executives. Huawei plans an ultra-premium model as soon as June with a $300,000 price tag—and hopes to bring the brand overseas eventually, though U.S. sanctions make American sales unlikely.
The Maextro S800, an 18-foot Chinese luxury sedan packed with 40 speakers, a 40-inch screen, and self-parking technology, costs $173,000—half the price of a starter Mercedes-Maybach and a quarter of what a basic Rolls-Royce runs in the U.S.
Chinese automakers know they lack the heritage of European luxury brands, so they’re compensating with overwhelming gadgetry. Built by more than 1,000 robots in Hefei and powered by Huawei technology, the Maextro opens doors with fist gestures detected by cameras and features reclining back seats with massage functions. “This is a maxed-out car for a very affordable price,” Thomas Luk, a strategy consultant and car expert, told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s definitely challenging the Maybach and the 7-series BMW.”
More than 17,000 Maextro cars were sold in the first year since its May 2025 launch, with buyers including entrepreneurs and executives. Huawei plans an ultra-premium model as soon as June with a $300,000 price tag—and hopes to bring the brand overseas eventually, though U.S. sanctions make American sales unlikely.
