Before delivery, it became an "old model" — the Wenjie M7 faces controversy over configuration upgrades

Topic: “Upgraded to ‘Old Model’ Before Taking Delivery” — Configuration Upgrade Controversy for Aito M7

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Source: Beijing Business Daily

On March 25, multiple 2026 Aito M7 owners told Beijing Business Daily that because the 896-line dual-optic image-level laser radar (hereinafter “896-line dual laser radar”) suddenly announced it would be rolled down to the M7 model, some owners had not even taken delivery yet before their vehicles effectively became “old models.” Owners questioned whether the official side intentionally concealed the upgrade plan, and the situation in which M9 could be upgraded for a fee while the M7 could not further intensified owners’ dissatisfaction.

This incident is not an isolated case. In the current intense autonomous-driving race, new-energy-vehicle companies frequently iterate both software and hardware, but generally lack a configuration-change disclosure mechanism and protections for existing customers. Relevant lawyers noted that if the seller knew in advance that a major refresh would happen in the short term, but deliberately concealed it and made false promises, it could constitute fraud and also infringe on consumers’ right to be informed. They suggested that the industry establish a “disclosure period” or “cooling-off period” for major changes to core configurations to protect short-term vehicle buyers’ right to know and right to choose.

Unable to upgrade the laser radar

“Ordered the car for less than a week, and the vehicle hadn’t even been delivered yet when Hongmeng Zhixing ‘stabbed us in the back.’” A 2026 Aito M7 owner, identified as Zhang Xin, told Beijing Business Daily. He said he paid a deposit for the car on March 17 this year, and delivery would take 2–4 weeks. “When I bought the car, I specifically asked whether the 896-line dual laser radar would be installed on the M7. The salesperson clearly told me it would not.”

After confirming that the M7 would not upgrade its laser radar in the near term, Zhang Xin decided to purchase the 2026 M7. However, within a week of buying the car, he learned from Huawei’s spring all-scenario new product launch that the 896-line dual laser radar would become standard across the board and be rolled down—meaning it would include the M7.

On March 4, Huawei released the 896-line dual laser radar, which was first mounted on flagship models under Hongmeng Zhixing such as Zunjie S800 and Aito M9. At Huawei’s March 23 spring all-scenario new product launch, the official formally announced that Aito M7 and M8 would receive a refresh, with the addition of the 896-line dual laser radar. For the Aito M7, selecting the 896-line dual laser radar would require an additional payment of 10,000 yuan. But what made Zhang Xin deeply dissatisfied was that Hongmeng Zhixing currently said that owners who had already purchased an M7 could not pay to upgrade to the 896-line dual laser radar, and it had not offered any compensation. “I haven’t taken delivery yet, and I still can’t change it—because the salesperson said it’s already scheduled for production.” Zhang Xin said.

Sales staff from Hongmeng Zhixing explained that for the 2026 M7 models scheduled for production before March 23, the 192-line laser radar is standard across the lineup. Owners who buy after March 23 can choose the 896-line dual laser radar. According to official information, the 896-line dual laser radar has the highest number of production lines for a vehicle laser radar globally; its perception capability has moved from the traditional “point-cloud level” to an “image-level” approach, with resolution four times higher than 192-line products.

The huge performance gap among laser radars has led almost all M7 old-owners to question things. A representative of the M7 owners, Wang Di, told Beijing Business Daily that M7 owners had written a joint letter to the official Hongmeng Zhixing. The letter stated that most owners had placed orders as early as September 2025, but due to production capacity constraints they only completed delivery in January 2026. During that period, owners repeatedly asked the official whether there would be configuration upgrades or refresh plans in the short term, but the answers they received were that there were “no short-term refresh plans; the 192-line laser radar is sufficient for everyday driving needs and is the current mainstream top-tier configuration.”

Wang Di and other owners believed that the official did not inform them of the refresh plan in advance, suggesting possible concealment. This, they said, directly forced M7 owners into a passive situation of “taking delivery and immediately falling behind.”

Different treatment between models of the same brand

The official’s different treatment across models of the same brand is another reason behind owners’ dissatisfaction. Wang Di told Beijing Business Daily that currently both the M9 and the S800 have been promised by the official to be upgradeable for a fee to the 896-line dual laser radar, but the M7 and M8 do not support it. Moreover, the newer M6—which is priced lower—already comes standard with the 896-line dual laser radar across the lineup and requires no additional option purchase.

“We can’t understand it. It’s the same Huawei smart-driving enablement and the same Aito brand—why can some models enjoy ‘always current’ upgrade rights, but the M7 can’t?” Wang Di said directly. Regarding owners’ concerns and how their rights would be protected going forward, Beijing Business Daily sent separate interview outlines to Hongmeng Zhixing and the Seres Group, but as of the time of publication, no response had been received.

Aito’s official customer service told Beijing Business Daily that at present only the M9 model under Aito supports upgrading to the 896-line dual laser radar, and there is no relevant information for other models.

At Beijing Business Daily’s on-site visit to a Hongmeng Zhixing offline store, it was found that models with the 896-line dual laser radar had not arrived on the lot yet. Sales staff told Beijing Business Daily that compared with current models, vehicles equipped with the 896-line dual laser radar need hardware replacement; theoretically, it can be done. However, hardware replacement also requires related reporting and approval procedures. Whether it can be implemented for the M7 and other models remains uncertain for now.

An engineer in the auto industry told Beijing Business Daily that upgrading from the 192-line to the 896-line dual laser radar typically requires simultaneous upgrades to the smart-driving domain controller due to incompatibilities in compute power, interfaces, and algorithms—not just a simple laser radar swap.

Wang Di and other owners said they hope the official will provide a clear explanation within seven working days regarding the act of concealing the refresh plan, explain why the same brand is treated differently across models, and clearly state whether the 2026 M7 has the possibility of paid hardware upgrades in the future. If upgrades are not possible, they hope the official will roll out practical and feasible compensation policies.

The 2026 Aito M7 was officially launched at the Chengdu International Auto Show on September 23, 2025, offering both extended-range and pure-electric dual versions. The official starting guidance price is 279,800 yuan. As of February 2026, cumulative deliveries have exceeded 100,000 units.

Infringing on consumers’ right to be informed

The official announcement of the 896-line dual laser radar was intended to strengthen Aito’s smart-driving advantage and respond to market competition. However, some owners had just taken delivery—or even had not taken delivery yet—when the brand rolled out a major configuration upgrade without taking into account the rights and interests of existing owners. This sparked a public opinion backlash, and puts the Aito brand’s reputation to the test. On March 24, the share price of Seres Group, Aito’s parent company, fell by more than 5% at one point. On March 25, the company’s share price fluctuated and trended downward for a sustained period, weakening further and putting clear pressure on its market capitalization.

If sales staff explicitly informed consumers before purchase that “the 896-line dual laser radar will not be installed on the M7,” then such conduct would be a false statement about the product’s future configuration information, which could mislead consumers in their purchasing decisions. It may constitute consumer fraud and infringe consumers’ right to be informed, said Sun Haoxiao, a senior partner at Shanghai Haihua Yongtai Law Firm.

Under Article 8 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China and Article 9 of the Implementing Regulations of the Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, consumers have the right to know the true situation of the goods they purchase and use, and operators may not engage in false or misleading publicity.

Sun Haoxiao further pointed out that after releasing a new model configuration, if an operator refuses to provide a fair upgrade channel or compensation plan to owners who purchased in the short term—thereby preventing them from obtaining reasonable transaction conditions equal to those later consumers receive—this constitutes unfairness in transactions caused by information asymmetry, infringing on consumers’ right to fair transactions and the right to make an independent choice.

Wang Jiankun, a senior partner at Shanghai Hushi Law Firm, said that generally speaking, automakers do not have a legal obligation to provide a hardware upgrade channel, unless the purchase contract clearly specifies a future upgrade or a specific configuration. Otherwise, hardware iteration is a company’s independent commercial decision. “But if it can be proven that the seller knew a major refresh would happen in the short term, yet intentionally concealed it and made false promises, it may constitute fraud. Owners would then have the right to claim rescission of the contract and demand compensation for losses.”

Wang Jiankun suggested that relevant authorities should establish a “disclosure period” or “cooling-off period” system for major changes to core configurations to protect short-term buyers’ right to know and right to choose. When purchasing, consumers may consider writing key promises such as “no near-term refresh” into the contract or retaining written evidence, and also calmly recognize that new-energy vehicles are electronic products—reasonably assessing the risks of technological iteration.

“On this basis, we suggest the industry explore a ‘mechanism to protect the rights of existing older owners’ to balance innovation speed with consumers’ sense of fairness. At the same time, for important components such as the three-electric systems and core smart-driving hardware, more clearly defined after-sales service standards should be formulated.” Sun Haoxiao said.

Beijing Business Daily reporter Lu Yuwei / text and photos

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