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Over four years, Seres leveraged Huawei's technology, sales channels, and brand endorsement to build AITO from scratch and secure a firm foothold in the premium new energy vehicle market. For the vast majority of consumers, choosing AITO essentially means choosing Huawei's intelligent ecosystem.

But this deeply intertwined partnership has now officially come to an end.

On September 15, Huawei and Seres officially announced their split: all AITO product definition, marketing channels, and user services will be fully led by Seres, while Huawei retains only technology enablement and completely steps into the background.

Just 13 days after the separation, Seres immediately unveiled its first ace card as an independent company.

On September 28, Seres' new brand AIVA made its debut at the Paris Motor Show, with the launch model AIVA ME7 officially unveiled — hailed by the industry as the most hardcore "half-price AITO."

Fully de-Huawei-ized! Core configurations completely overhauled

The AIVA ME7 is positioned as a coupe SUV, equipped with lidar and available in both pure electric and extended-range versions. Featuring an 800V high-voltage platform plus CATL batteries, it can fast-charge in just 15 minutes, with a CLTC range of 700 kilometers — full hardware strength.

According to industry forecasts, the new model will enter the 200,000-yuan price segment. Compared with the prices of AITO M7 and M9, its cost-performance advantage is extremely prominent, and the "half-price AITO" label is well deserved.

More critically, this vehicle has completely stripped away Huawei's full suite of solutions: the cockpit runs on ByteDance's Doubao large model, and the intelligent driving system uses DeepRoute.ai — from software and hardware to production and sales channels, everything is independently controlled by Seres, completely free of Huawei dependence.

The split is not a failure — Huawei is the biggest winner

Many people believe Seres "stabbed Huawei in the back," but the truth is quite the opposite.

As early as last year, the AITO trademark and patents had already been transferred, and this year all trademarks were officially registered under Seres — the two companies were already legally fully decoupled. With this split, Huawei has transitioned from a heavy-asset operational partnership to a light-asset technology supplier, with no need to bear marketing or channel costs while steadily earning technology revenue.

At the same time, Huawei holds multiple new brands including Luxeed and Stelato, and is fully opening up its technology to collaborate with various automakers — a broader track and a more stable layout. Meanwhile, with AITO sales continuing to decline, exiting in time is a sound strategic move to cut losses.

The real test is left to Seres

Huawei walked away with ease, but the newly independent Seres is under tremendous pressure.

The newly launched AIVA ME7 targets the fiercely competitive 200,000-yuan new energy market, going head-to-head with strong rivals such as Tesla, Xiaomi, and Avatr — a true "meat grinder" track in the auto market.

In the past, customers paid the bill thanks to Huawei's brand halo, HarmonyOS cockpit, and Qiankun intelligent driving. Now, with complete de-Huawei-ization, a new brand, a new system, and new channels, Seres must win user recognition from zero — an enormous challenge.

Automaker partnerships have always been about mutual benefit: when interests align, partners come together; when benefits run out, they part ways. Four years of symbiosis, with both sides getting what they needed and growing independently, makes an amicable split the best possible outcome.

The AIVA ME7 offers outstanding value, but without the Huawei halo, a budget alternative can never truly replace the original. Whether this "half-price AITO" can break through ultimately depends on real market sales.

Are you optimistic about Seres' AIVA after breaking away from Huawei?

Do you think this "half-price AITO" can win in the 200,000-yuan market?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Disclaimer: This article is compiled based on publicly available industry information and serves solely as an objective industry analysis. It does not constitute car-purchasing or investment advice. Vehicle pricing and official information are subject to the brand's official announcements.