This Chinese Flagship Makes A Rolls-Royce Ghost Look Overpriced

When a car is already being compared to a Rolls-Royce, the obvious next step is to make it even more extravagant. That is exactly what Huawei and JAC have done with the Maextro S800 Grand Design, a new flagship version of their ultra-luxury sedan.

It builds on the standard S800 with bespoke styling details, upgraded technology, and an even stronger focus on rear-seat comfort. And while it pushes deeper into Rolls-Royce territory, it still costs only a fraction of what a British rival would.

The visual changes are all about subtle excess. The two-tone body combines deep blue-green with silver, while gold accents appear on the hood ornament, wheel covers, decorative stripes, and exterior badging. Inside, Maextro has yet to show the cabin, but the standard S800 already includes a triple-screen dashboard, zero-gravity rear seats, a retractable laser projector, and a 43-speaker Huawei sound system, so expectations are understandably high.

The Grand Design package also adds new hardware, including an 896-line roof-mounted LiDAR unit and an additional camera in the B-pillar. These support Huawei’s latest Qiankun ADS 5.0 driver assistance system, an upgrade over the ADS 4.1 setup used in the regular S800.

Buyers will be able to choose between a fully electric version with 523 hp and a 97 kWh battery, or a range-extended variant that combines a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine with three electric motors and a 63 kWh battery.

Pricing is expected to approach ¥2 million (around $294,000) when sales begin in China this June. That sounds like a huge number until you remember a Rolls-Royce Ghost starts at more than ¥5 million. For Maextro, the formula appears to be working. The standard S800 has already become China’s best-selling car priced above ¥700,000, with more than 17,000 deliveries to date.