Chongqing - On January 13, an AITO M9 rolled off the production line at the Seres Super Factory in Liangjiang New Area, marking the brand’s 1 millionth vehicle to come off the assembly line.
On January 13, an AITO M9 rolled off the production line at the Seres Super Factory in Liangjiang New Area, marking the brand's 1 millionth vehicle to come off the assembly line. (Photo/ Liangjiang New Area)
AITO is a premium new energy vehicle brand developed by Seres. Launched in 2021, it reached 100,000 vehicles in just 15 months, surpassed 400,000 units by July 2024, and climbed from 400,000 to 1 million in only 18 months.
AITO’s lineup comprises four core models: the M5, with cumulative deliveries exceeding 160,000 units; the M7, surpassing 400,000 units; the M8, topping 150,000 units; and the flagship M9, which has reached 270,000 units. Notably, the one-millionth AITO vehicle produced was also the 270,000th M9.
The milestone one-millionth AITO vehicle was also the 270,000th M9 produced. (Photo/ Liangjiang New Area)
AITO led domestic automakers in average transaction price in 2024 and was the only brand to exceed RMB 400,000 (about 57357 U.S. dollars). In 2025, total deliveries topped 420,000 vehicles, with a record 57,000 units delivered in December, while its flagship M9 led the high-end luxury SUV market in sales, resale value and customer recommendations.
Zhang Xinghai, Chairman and Founder of Seres Group, said AITO pioneered cross-industry integration in the auto sector, accelerated industry upgrading, and has become a leading example of Chinese brands succeeding in the luxury car market.
Looking ahead, Seres will deepen cooperation with partners, including Huawei and CATL, to enhance AITO products. The company will prioritize safety, advance intelligent technologies, and speed up its expansion into overseas markets.
"It took us five years to reach the first 1 million vehicles and we will strive to achieve the second 1 million goal within two years," Zhang said.
Huawei-Seres collaboration: success and controversy
As a high-end smart vehicle brand co-launched by Seres and Huawei, AITO integrates automotive manufacturing with Huawei’s intelligent technologies to deliver a range of technology-driven models.
AITO integrates automotive manufacturing with Huawei's intelligent technologies to deliver a range of technology-driven models. (Photo/ Visual Chongqing)
According to The Paper, Yu Chengdong, Executive Director of Huawei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Consumer Business Group and Chairman of Huawei’s Product Investment Review Board, said that AITO has become the fastest Chinese luxury vehicle brand to reach 1 million units produced, driven by its strengths in intelligent technology and safety.
Tracing its growth, an AITO M5 rolled quietly off the production line in 2022. Just three years later, the same factory marked its one-millionth vehicle, completing AITO’s rise from an unknown brand to one million deliveries in only four years.
Under the AITO project, Huawei leads product definition, intelligent cockpit and driving systems, and sales channels, while Seres focuses on manufacturing and engineering execution. This collaboration breaks the traditional automaker model of independent R&D, production and sales, with its strongest edge coming from distribution: AITO vehicles are sold through more than 5,600 Huawei retail stores nationwide.
In 2025 alone, AITO gained over 420,000 new owners, about 70 percent of whom were first-time car buyers converted from Huawei’s consumer ecosystem.
The model’s success has also sparked debate. While Huawei says it does not build cars, the AITO M9 was developed under Yu’s direct leadership, with Huawei playing a leading role in chassis tuning as well as intelligent driving and cockpit systems.
Once close to delisting, Seres has seen its market value surge but now faces a key question: with core technologies, branding and user loyalty closely tied to Huawei, is it a true partner or an advanced contract manufacturer? Peninsula Metropolis Daily reports that Seres’ R&D investment remains well below that of peers such as BYD, Great Wall Motor and XPeng.
Industry responses have been telling. Li Auto has rejected the Smart Selection model and insisted on developing its own intelligent driving system; XPeng Motors once used Huawei-related solutions but later shifted to its fully self-developed XNGP autonomous driving system; NIO has openly stated that “the soul of a brand cannot be outsourced,” underscoring its commitment to independent control over core technologies.
Huawei’s smart car alliance now includes five brands—AITO, Luxeed, Stelato, Maextro and Shangjie—expanding cooperation across multiple automakers under shared technology and ecosystem standards. Seres no longer has exclusive access to Huawei’s resources, pushing competition beyond individual products toward broader ecosystem positioning.
(Zheng Jiayi, as an intern, also contributed to this report. )