AITO

AITO was officially launched on December 2, 2021, at Seres Group's Liangjiang factory in Chongqing, representing a deep strategic partnership between the automotive manufacturer Seres (formerly Sokon Group) and the technology giant Huawei [17]. The collaboration is structured under Huawei's Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), where Huawei leads product design, software development, and sales, while Seres handles manufacturing and production [1, 17]. The brand's first model, the AITO M5, debuted in late 2021 as a development of the Seres SF5, featuring a more luxurious interior and Huawei's HarmonyOS Smart Cockpit [8, 17]. Following the M5, AITO rapidly expanded its lineup with the M7 in 2022 and the flagship M9 in late 2023 [16, 19]. The M9, in particular, became a significant market success, consistently topping the luxury SUV segment in China and helping the brand outsell established legacy manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz in specific high-end categories [13, 19]. The brand's ownership structure saw a brief shift when Seres sold the AITO trademark to Huawei in June 2023, only for Huawei to transfer it back to Seres in July 2024 to clarify their roles as technology provider and manufacturer [14]. By 2026, AITO achieved a milestone of one million vehicles produced within just 46 months of its launch [9]. The brand has also begun its international expansion, entering markets like the United Arab Emirates where the M9 is marketed as the AITO 9 [1, 17]. The company has set ambitious long-term goals, targeting annual sales of one million vehicles by 2030, with overseas sales expected to account for 20% of that volume [10].