Long-rumoured model is a slick rival to the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate and BMW 5-Series Touring.
Huawei-backed Stelato has released the first images of its upcoming S9T electric estate car ahead of an expected launch at August’s Chengdu Auto Show.
The new model, now confirmed as being called S9T, has long been rumoured with several prototypes spotted undergoing testing, and the final product confirms the first full-size electric estate car will focus on space.
It will be based on the existing S9 saloon which competes, at least on dimensions, in the space between Mercedes-Benz E-Class and S-Class, meaning the S9T will likely compete against the large estate versions of the E-Class, 5-Series, and A6, since no larger fully electric estates are currently sold.
Stelato is the third brand of Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, after AITO and Luxeed, and before the recently launched Maextro, and is produced by Beijing-based BAIC.
The S9T is expected to grow in length by around 200mm over the standard S9’s 5,160mm, with the width of 1,987mm, height of 1,486mm, and wheelbase of 3,050mm expected to stay roughly the same.
The images show that Stelato looks set to focus on the lifestyle advantages of the estate body, with a roof-rack carrying a bike in one of the images, while overall it retains the same soft and purposeful styling of the S9, with a swooping glasshouse running deep into the C-pillar.
Stelato designers look to have stayed away from the increasingly common “shooting brake” roofline which is sportier but rarely much more practical than a standard saloon body, so the S9T looks set to gain considerably on the meagre 378-litres of the S9.
Elsewhere, it retains the same almond-shaped headlights of the standard S9, but adopts a design closer to the pixelated taillights of the AITO M9 at the rear, with both brands sharing similar details in their styling but Stelato focusing on saloon variants as opposed to the SUV bodies of AITO models.
The S9 has an outstanding drag coefficient of just 0.193 and given the S9T’s more streamlined tail end, it could even beat that figure.
Stelato hasn’t released any details together with the images of the S9T so we’ll have to assume a lot of the statistics will remain roughly the same as the standard S9, which is only available as a fully-electric model with either single or dual motors.
Rear-wheel-drive versions of the S9 use a 227kW (309hp) motor for a 0-100kph sprint of 5.98 seconds, while the dual-motor version boasts 385kW (524hp) in total for a 0-100kph sprint of 3.9 seconds.
With the additional weight of the estate, these numbers might go up by around 0.2 seconds, unless additional power is given to accommodate the weight.
The S9 sits on an 800-volt platform and uses the 100kWh ‘Whale’ battery, a collaboration between Huawei and CATL, which can charge 200km in five minutes and gives a range of 816km in single motor form, and 721km in dual-motor form.
Like other Huawei-based models, the S9T should get access to their ADS 3.0 ADAS system, utilising a 192-line lidar unit above the windscreen, as well as ultrasonic sensors and seven cameras.
Inside, we’d expect it to benefit from Huawei’s Harmony OS 4 operating system, as well as a 15.6-inch screen on the centre console, and the option of a 32-inch laser projector for rear seat entertainment, as well as a 23-speaker sound system.
It’s also possible, but unlikely, that the S9T will get three-rows of seats, potentially becoming a six-seater. Instead we’d expect it to keep with the standard S9’s four- and five-seat layouts with the four-seater getting zero-gravity rear seats.
Prices for the S9 saloon start at RMB 399,800 (£41,300 / $55,800) and rise to RMB 449,800 (£46,500 / $62,700), so expect the S9T to carry a premium of around RMB 20,000 (£2,100 / $2,800) over those figures.
The standard S9 delivered 4,154 units in June, ranking first in the premium electric saloon category over RMB 300,000.
