China is quickly becoming the largest consumer of EV vehicles in the world. To quench its insatiable thirst for electric vehicles, manufacturers like Tesla have opened up manufacturing plants in the country. But even the largest EV manufacturer is struggling to keep up with demand, opening up the door for other competitors to sweep in. Brands like Nio are aiming to take a large chunk of the EV market, and Huawei is the latest player to enter the battlefield. Back in February, we covered Huawei's intention to build electric cars, and by April it actually delivered on its promise when it delivered the SF5, which it co-developed with Cyrus. Now the Chinese tech giant has announced a new vehicle that will feature its HarmonyOS operating system. Meet the Aito M5.

The goal with the Aito M5 is to take on the Tesla Model Y, a highly popular choice in the Chinese market. Speaking at Huawei's winter product launch event, Richard Yu, executive director and CEO of Huawei's consumer business group, said that the M5, which runs on both electricity and gas will offer superior peak power and range to that of the Model Y. This is obviously not a fair comparison seeing as the M5 will have the benefit of a full tank of gas when its batteries run out. Yu went on to boast about the M5's refinement: "You will know whether it is premium or not by the sound. We are able to offer the 'library grade' quality experience." he said.

Huawei's role in the M5 sits in the car's infotainment operating system. The HarmonyOS operating system fully integrates with other Huawei products, and customers can even use their Huawei smart watches as a key to start their vehicles.

Aito falls under the Seres brand, a Silicon Valley-based subsidiary of Chongqing-based automobile manufacturer Sokon. The company believes that turning your car into a smart device similar to your phone is the future. The HarmonyOS system was born out of necessity since Google banned the company from using its Android operating system.

"Many rounds of sanctions of the past three years have plunged us into the longest winter, because no winter is as long as three years," he said. "In spite of the great difficulties we have received strong support from consumers and partners across the globe," Yu said.

The M5 is the first car to don the Aito name, which stands for "adding intelligence to auto." Deliveries of the M5 are set to begin by the end of February after the Lunar New Year, and will start at 250,000 yuan ($39,000), undercutting the Tesla Model Y by nearly $5,000.