The Stelato V8 has opened pre-sales in China at 329,800 yuan, with the full launch expected in early November. Built by BAIC with Huawei's HIMA alliance, it is the flagship MPV of the range and the first serious attempt by the partnership to cover the large family and executive people-carrier segment, alongside its saloons and SUVs.
Photo: JustAnotherCarDesigner / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Illustrative: the Stelato S9 saloon; the V8 MPV launches in early November.
Seven seats and a genuinely usable boot
The V8 is 5,335 mm long, 2,005 mm wide and 1,825 mm tall on a 3,250 mm wheelbase, with a drag coefficient of 0.226 that is remarkable for something this shape. The cabin is laid out 2+2+3. Boot space is 674 litres with all seven seats occupied, enough for ten 20-inch cabin cases, and folding the third row flat takes it to 1,552 litres. A 220-volt socket is built into the load area.
- Body: 5,335 x 2,005 x 1,825 mm, wheelbase 3,250 mm, drag 0.226
- Boot: 674 litres with seven on board, 1,552 litres with the third row folded
- Access: 730 mm sliding door aperture, 380 mm floor height on the lowest suspension setting
- Turning circle: 5.09 m thanks to 12 degrees of rear steering
- Pre-sale bookings: more than 8,200 in the first 72 hours
Four zero-gravity seats and a ceiling cinema
Comfort is where the V8 spends its money. Four zero-gravity seats are standard, covering the driver, front passenger and both second-row chairs, all heated, ventilated and massaged. The second-row seats adjust 20 ways and rotate electrically to 45, 90 or 180 degrees, and they turn 45 degrees outward to greet passengers as the door opens. In front, a 12.3-inch driver display joins two 17.2-inch central and passenger screens, and higher trims add a 21.4-inch Huawei ceiling screen, backed by a 25-speaker audio system.
Photo: JustAnotherCarDesigner / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — Illustrative: the Stelato S9 saloon; the V8 MPV launches in early November.
800V platform, two powertrains
Every version runs an 800-volt architecture with an all-aluminium chassis, dual-chamber air springs and continuously variable damping. The range-extended models use a 118 kW 1.5-litre turbo generator with 56 kWh or 75.4 kWh packs for 260 km, 275 km or 339 km of WLTC electric range and up to 1,465 km in total. Pure-electric versions offer a 227 kW rear motor with a 120 kWh battery rated at 830 km CLTC, or a dual-motor 160 kW plus 227 kW four-wheel-drive version rated at 775 km.
- Range extender EREV: from 329,800 yuan, Max, Max+, Ultra and Ultra+ trims
- Battery electric: from 369,800 yuan, 830 km rear drive or 775 km all-wheel drive
- Ultra+ flagship: 409,800 yuan range-extended, 449,800 yuan electric
- Charging: 800V architecture across the range
Four lidars and an L3-ready architecture
Driver assistance comes from Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5. Top trims carry four lidar units and the whole range is built on an architecture designed for Level 3 automated driving, with 12 degrees of rear-wheel steering fitted as standard. Final prices will be confirmed at the launch event, and BAIC says selected configurations can be delivered within one to four weeks of an order being locked in.
The V8 enters a segment where the benchmarks are well established, and pre-sale orders only tell part of the story. But a 1,465 km combined range, four zero-gravity seats and a rotating second row give it a specification sheet that most rivals in the 400,000 yuan class cannot answer directly.