Stellar V6: The 100K Smart SUV That Puts Huawei Tech in Fashion

Huawei's Smart Tech Goes Mainstream

On August 8, Dongfeng Forthing revealed pricing for its new Stellar V6 in Chengdu. Four trims, two with Huawei's Qiankun smart driving system. The headline? A starting pre-sale price of just 104,900 yuan for the version with Huawei's tech. That's a big deal.

Until now, pairing Huawei's smart driving with a six-seat SUV meant spending at least 150,000 yuan. The Stellar V6 knocks that down to just over 100,000. It's a move that pushes advanced driver assistance into the heart of the family car market, where buyers are more price-sensitive but increasingly tech-curious.

A Six-Seater That Plays Four-Seater

The Stellar V6 measures 4,835mm long, 1,900mm wide, and 1,755mm tall, with a 2,900mm wheelbase. It's a mid-size crossover, not a full-size behemoth. The challenge? Making a third row that doesn't cramp adults and still leaves room for cargo.

Dongfeng's answer is clever: the third-row seats fold and tumble flat into the floor. With them stowed and the second row slid forward, you get a flat loading area of 1.63 square meters and up to 1,630 liters of space. Even in six-seat mode, there's 513 liters behind the third row. Plus, there's a 70-liter frunk up front.

For a daily commute with a small family, you flip the third row down and enjoy a spacious 'big four-seater' with generous cargo capacity. For weekend trips with the whole crew, you flip them back up. It's a flexible layout that makes the most of a modest footprint.

Huawei's SE: Smart Enough for Daily Life

The two Qiankun trims use Huawei's ADS 5 SE, a camera-based system with 10 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, and 3 millimeter-wave radars. No lidar. It supports highway NCA, city LCC+, smart parking, and CAS 5.0 active safety.

What does that mean in practice? On the highway, the car can handle lane keeping, adaptive cruise, and automated lane changes, including entering and exiting ramps. In the city, it offers lane centering, adaptive cruise, traffic light recognition, and obstacle avoidance within the lane. Parking is covered too, with remote and memory parking functions.

Don't expect the full-fat ADS 5 experience, though. The SE version skips the city NCA and the 'parking lot to parking lot' feature that Huawei showcased in its high-end systems. But for most drivers, the included features cover the frequent scenarios: long highway drives, stop-and-go traffic, and parking.

Inside the Cabin: Big Screen, Fast Chip

Step inside and you'll find a 15.6-inch 2.5K central touchscreen, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip. The infotainment runs on Baidu's voice assistant and Ernie large language model, with support for wake-word-free commands, continuous dialogue, dual-zone voice recognition, and even dialect recognition.

It's a setup that feels modern and responsive, and it's a step up from what you'd typically find at this price point.

Safety: More Than Just Airbags

Safety is a priority. The body uses high-strength steel for 76% of its structure, with 28.4% being 1500MPa hot-formed steel. The battery pack is protected by a 1080MPa high-strength steel shield and a fire-resistant coating that withstands 800°C.

These are numbers that inspire confidence, especially for a family vehicle.

Why Huawei's SE Matters for Budget EVs

The 'smart driving equality' trend has been pushing features like highway assist and auto parking downmarket. But you can't just copy a full high-end system into a 100K car; the sensors, computing power, and development costs are too high.

That's where SE comes in. By stripping out the lidar and the most advanced city functions, Huawei created a cost-effective package that still handles the high-frequency needs. It's a trade-off that makes sense for budget-conscious buyers who want a taste of smart driving without breaking the bank.

Huawei needs to expand its reach. As of July, the Qiankun system has been adopted by over 25 brands across 50 models, with total installations exceeding 1.9 million and cumulative assisted driving mileage over 12.8 billion kilometers. To keep growing, it needs to get into more affordable vehicles.

Dongfeng Forthing, on the other hand, needs a hook to stand out in the crowded 10K EV market. Big screens and long range are table stakes now. Huawei's branding and smart driving capabilities give the Stellar V6 a unique selling point that can sway buyers.

The Bottom Line: A Ticket to Smart Driving

What do you actually get for 104,900 yuan? A ticket to the smart driving club. It's not the full VIP pass, but it gets you access to highway assistance and smart parking—features that genuinely change the driving experience.

The Stellar V6 is a pragmatic choice for families who want space and tech without the premium price tag. It's a testament to how far smart driving has come, and a sign that the future of mobility is becoming more accessible, one affordable crossover at a time.