The nature of cooperation between Seres and Huawei has evolved.

On September 15, both the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance and Seres addressed the adjustments.

Seres will now spearhead product definition, design, brand marketing, channel retail, and service systems for the AITO brand, with Huawei Terminal offering support.

As the inaugural brand under Huawei's automaker collaboration, AITO has witnessed remarkable sales since its inception.

Leveraging Huawei's brand influence, AITO has emerged as a significant player in the industry.

Thanks to AITO, Seres maintains a competitive edge in overall sales, even in the current market landscape.

Data reveals that in August, the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance delivered 42,100 units, while Seres delivered 20,700 units.

Image Source: Screenshot from Seres' Official Website

Moving forward, the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance will concentrate its resources on Luxeed, Enjoyce, Maextro, and Sellux.

Public statements suggest that the operational mantle of AITO has transitioned from Huawei to Seres.

The question now is whether Seres can rise to the occasion.

01 Seres' Contingency Plan

Over the past few years, AITO's success has been heavily reliant on Huawei's marketing prowess and dealership network.

With the shift in operational control, doubts arise regarding Seres' ability to effectively market AITO.

Prior to its partnership with Huawei, Seres (then known as Sokon) lacked strong brand recognition and had not demonstrated the capability or experience to independently manage a leading brand.

AITO's recent success can be largely attributed to Huawei's team taking the lead in product marketing, launches, and channel sales.

However, the current scenario is markedly different from when AITO was first introduced at the end of 2021.

Huawei now supports five brands and has similar collaborations, such as Qijing and Yijing. From a consumer standpoint, even Huawei loyalists now have more options.

Some models fall within similar price brackets, inevitably leading to market fragmentation.

In 2026, Seres' operational performance has also undergone changes.

Media reports indicate that from January to August 2026, AITO's cumulative sales reached 201,900 units, marking a year-on-year decline of 14%.

At its peak, Seres sold over 40,000 units per month, but now it sells around 20,000 units monthly.

The financial reports reveal even more significant data shifts.

In the first half of 2026, revenue stood at RMB 57.493 billion, compared to RMB 62.402 billion in the same period of 2025, a decline of 7.87%.

Net profit attributable to the parent company was a loss of RMB 1.717 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 158.38%.

With declining sales and mounting losses, the foundation of their cooperation has been shaken.

Previously, Seres had already initiated some strategic moves.

Seres' proprietary brand, Bluelight, has been spun off and rebranded as Saidoo Technology after securing state-owned capital from Chongqing's Shapingba District and partnering with ByteDance.

On September 15, the day the news broke, Seres' stock price was impacted.

In the secondary market, A-shares closed down 5.09% at RMB 45.46; H-shares experienced a maximum intraday drop of over 7%.

On September 16, following stock price fluctuations, it stabilized, closing at RMB 45.52.

The stock price changes mirror Seres' current predicament, with much hinging on its future operational performance.

02 AITO's Evolution Over the Years

As early as 2018, Sokon (Seres' predecessor) was already in discussions with Huawei.

At that time, Sokon started as a spring component manufacturer, expanded into motorcycles and micro-trucks, and established SF MOTORS in the United States for overseas R&D.

However, its independent new energy business struggled to gain traction, incurring significant non-recurring losses for several consecutive years, while its fuel vehicle business continued to decline.

Huawei, too, was exploring its automotive business strategy at that juncture.

Initially, Huawei opted to collaborate with BAIC Arcfox, adopting a traditional component supplier model, where Huawei provided autonomous driving solutions, and automakers led product design and marketing sales.

However, the market response was tepid, and sales remained stagnant.

Huawei then began to deeply involve itself in the entire chain of product definition, design, marketing, and dealership sales, with Sokon becoming the first partner to implement this model.

The model's success commenced with the launch of the AITO M5 at the end of 2021, and the Smart Selection model gradually matured.

According to media reports, the AITO M5 achieved over 10,000 deliveries within 87 days of its launch, setting a record for the fastest delivery of a single model among new forces. Subsequently, the M7 and M9 models also gained popularity.

AITO achieved cumulative deliveries of 1 million units in just 46 months and remains the cornerstone of the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance's matrix, accounting for more than half of the sales within the system.

03 The Remnants of Huawei's Support

Since Seres has remained in the background, with Huawei taking center stage, some media outlets have suggested that Seres has become a contract manufacturer.

This perception arises from their profit-sharing model.

Without a direct profit-sharing agreement, Seres makes substantial annual purchases of components from Huawei.

Financial reports indicate that in 2025, Seres' procurement from Huawei reached RMB 56.054 billion, accounting for about one-third of its annual revenue, primarily for purchasing intelligent automotive components such as the Harmony cockpit and intelligent driving systems.

Additionally, Seres' sales expenses were as high as RMB 24.19 billion. According to media reports, a significant portion of the sales service fees went to Huawei's channels, although this has not been confirmed.

Some media outlets have estimated that for every AITO sold, Huawei earns RMB 130,000-140,000, while Seres earns RMB 17,000. However, these are merely estimates and have not been confirmed.

Seres' earlier strategic moves regarding AITO also indicate its intention to take control.

In 2024, Seres acquired 919 AITO series trademarks and 44 design patents and invested in Yingwang.

In 2025, after listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, part of the funds raised was invested in channels.

Following this cooperation change, some of Huawei's support remains.

First, core intelligent technologies continue to be supplied, such as the Harmony cockpit, Qiankun ADS high-level intelligent driving, and continuous iteration of the vehicle OTA ecosystem. Existing users' maintenance, system upgrades, and all rights and interests related to the Harmony ecosystem remain unaffected.

Second, AITO's sales channels are independent, with some of the original Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance stores now under Seres.

Third, AITO retains its membership in the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance ecosystem and can share some of its collaborative resources.

The crux is that although the technological foundation remains intact, brand marketing and the traffic halo effect will diminish. Huawei will remain a crucial technology supplier but will no longer be the operator leading the charge to promote AITO in the market.

Whether Seres can rise to the challenge depends on its own efforts.