Seres delivered Seres 5 vehicles to the first European owners in Norway in cooperation with a local dealer.
(Image credit: Seres)
Seres Group -- one of Huawei's key partners in the automotive sector -- has started vehicle deliveries in Europe.
On June 21, Seres delivered Seres 5 vehicles to the first European owners in Bergen, Norway, according to an announcement made by the company based in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing on June 23.
Unlike Nio (NYSE: NIO), which follows a direct sales model overseas, Seres delivered the first vehicles in Norway in partnership with local dealer Sandven AS.
Sandven will work with Seres to bring more new energy vehicle (NEV) offerings to Norwegian consumers for the European market, said Trond Sandven, the dealership's founder.
The Seres 5 appears to be the Aito M5 sold in China, a model jointly designed by Huawei and Aito, a brand jointly launched by Huawei and Seres.
The Seres Chinese website currently shows only the Aito series of models, including the Aito M5 series and the Aito M7 series.
The four-wheel drive version of the Seres 5 has a total output of 430 kW and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, according to Seres.
The model is available in battery electric vehicle (BEV) and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) versions to meet the diverse mobility needs of customers worldwide, Seres said.
(Seres rotating chairman and president Zhang Zhengping delivered the vehicle to the first Seres 5 owner in Norway.)
The Seres 5 BEV has a WLTP range of 500 kilometers for the two-wheel drive version and 530 kilometers for the four-wheel drive flagship version, the company said.
On full fuel and power, the Seres 5 EREV has a combined range of more than 1,000 kilometers, it said.
Seres did not reveal whether the first vehicles it delivered in Europe were the Seres 5 BEV or the Seres 5 EREV, though its announcement features a model with a front face that matches the all-electric version of the Aito M5.
This is the latest development in Seres' efforts to reach overseas markets.
Seres unveiled the Landian brand on March 30 and made its first model, the plug-in hybrid E5, available.
Equipped with technology from Huawei and BYD, the Landian E5 is a mid-size SUV available in 5- and 7-seat versions, with a starting price of RMB 139,900 ($18,490) in China.
On May 25, Landian shipped the first 500 Landian E5 vehicles to overseas markets.
Huawei officially announced on April 20, 2021 that it would start selling cars in its flagship stores, with the first model being the Seres SF5 SUV, which uses extended-range technology. This model is no longer available in China.
On December 2, 2021, Seres and Huawei jointly launched a premium NEV brand called Aito, followed by the M5 EREV, M5 BEV and M7 EREV.
Originally known as Chongqing Sokon Industrial Group, Seres Group changed its name in August 2022, with Seres as one of its brands.
Seres Group sold 8,562 NEVs in May, down 18.08 percent year-on-year but up 23.78 percent from April, according to data released earlier this month.
($1 = RMB 7.1795)
Seres' sub-brand Landian sends 1st 500 cars to overseas markets
