- Third-party testing found the brake pedal met industry standards, but questions remain over differences between lab tests and real-world emergency braking
- The controversy sent JAC Motors shares to a limit-down on October 8 before the stock recovered after Maextro’s latest disclosure
Maextro (尊界), the premium EV brand jointly developed by Huawei and JAC Motors (江淮汽车), released third-party test results for the brake pedal of its multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) V800 on October 13, sending JAC shares sharply higher.
JAC shares jumped nearly 9% at one point in morning trading and closed 4.72% higher, giving the company a market capitalization of 52.05 billion yuan.
The dispute began on October 8, when automotive media outlet Dongchedi published a video showing a brake test of the Maextro V800 MPV.
Stock crash
During a high-speed emergency braking test, the vehicle’s brake pedal bracket fractured under extreme force, triggering widespread online discussion and sending JAC shares to their daily trading limit.
Later that day, Maextro said it would provide free upgrades for delivered vehicles and conduct a comprehensive review and reinforcement of the relevant components.
According to Maextro’s latest statement, a nationally accredited third-party testing institution examined the V800 brake pedal and found that it met industry standards.
Under more stringent testing with higher loads, the tested pedal samples showed no cracks or damage, the marquee’s spokesperson said.
The conclusion, however, has not fully resolved the debate.
The counterargument
The Dongchedi testing team argued that static loading and dynamic loading represent different scenarios.
The third-party test commissioned by Maextro used a gradual static loading method, while Dongchedi’s test simulated a high-speed emergency braking scenario in which force was applied rapidly.
“Slowly applying force over one or two seconds is fundamentally different from a driver suddenly applying maximum force within a fraction of a second during an emergency,” a vehicle product manager was quoted as saying in a Chinese media report, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.
Static vs dynamic loading
Maextro previously said it would begin providing free upgrades for delivered vehicles in November, while vehicles that have not yet been shipped will be upgraded before delivery.
Industry observers said Maextro should release the full third-party report and explain why the static bench test results differed from the failure observed in the dynamic braking scenario.
Header image credit: Maextro
