Just recently, Richard Yu had to go public to deny swirling rumors about Huawei and Seres parting their ways. Now, the two companies are collaborating more closely and have truly ambitious plans with aggressive deadlines.
The two companies aim to produce and sell one million electric vehicles per year by the end of 2026. That is a huge number given that the joint venture only sold 80,041 vehicles in China in 2022. Still, that’s six times what it was a year ago.
Huawei announced nearly two years ago that it would begin selling Seres vehicles in its own showrooms throughout China, starting with the SF5 SUV. Seres and Huawei announced AITO as their dedicated electric brand at the end of 2021, with the AITO M5 and M7 accounting for the majority of the 80,041 vehicles sold last year.
Huawei will contribute expertise in digitalization, user experience, and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. HarmonyOS will serve as the foundation for all vehicles produced by the joint venture.
Seres, for its part, will enhance the product experience of all existing models while also assisting Huawei with its manufacturing base.
Huawei has other automotive joint ventures. There is one with Changan Automobile and CATL called Avatr, and its first EV, the Avatr 11, has been in production since December and will be sold in Huawei showrooms. The electric SUV has already delivered 2,000 units.
The other joint venture is with JAC; the two intend to construct a brand new industrial park in Hefei where they will jointly manufacture electric vehicles.