JAC Shares Hit Daily Limit as Regulators Open Joint Probe into Maextro V800 Brake Bracket Failures

Shares of Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC) climbed to their 9.98% daily ceiling on Friday, closing the session at 22.37 yuan, after three Chinese government bodies confirmed they would jointly investigate brake pedal bracket failures reported in the Maextro V800 — the flagship MPV co-developed by JAC and Huawei. The rally marks a sharp reversal for the stock, which had shed 22.37% between the opening bell on October 8 and the close on October 15.

The investigation was announced on the evening of October 15 by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which said it was working alongside the Cyberspace Administration of China and the State Administration for Market Regulation. According to the ministry, the joint team will build on earlier investigative work and handle the matter in line with relevant laws and regulations. The statement referenced online reports of the bracket failures but stopped short of drawing any conclusions about their cause or about the testing methods that surfaced them, promising only that further updates would follow in due course.

Maextro responded on Weibo, saying it would fully cooperate with investigators and that it remains committed to protecting consumers’ legitimate rights and interests while supporting the healthy development of China’s new energy vehicle sector. The controversy traces back to an October 8 video from automotive information platform Dongchedi, which reported that three V800 units experienced brake pedal bracket failures between their second and fourth emergency braking attempts from 100 km/h to a standstill. Testers said the pedal became unusable and that they stopped the vehicles using the emergency braking function triggered by the Park button. Maextro pushed back the same day, saying no such failures had appeared in real-world customer use since deliveries began and characterizing the video’s conditions as non-standard and extreme. The brand said its braking system had been engineered to standards exceeding Chinese national and industry requirements, and still pledged to refine the component’s design and offer a free upgrade to owners of delivered vehicles, alongside a systematic review of design validation, testing parameters and production quality management. The joint investigation announcement did not address that earlier explanation. Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei’s consumer business group, reshared Maextro’s statement on his personal WeChat Moments, adding in the comments, “Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent,” according to posts circulating among automotive bloggers.

Launched on August 5, the V800 is Maextro’s flagship MPV and the highest-positioned offering under Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA). Its announced launch pricing spanned 766,000 yuan ($113,950) to 1,016,000 yuan, placing it squarely against the premium business-transport segment long dominated by the Toyota Alphard and Lexus LM. With the probe’s findings still pending, the episode keeps attention fixed on how safety validation is conducted in China’s fast-moving premium NEV market, and on how quickly regulators move from announcement to conclusions.