Seres and ByteDance Collaboration: A New Stage of Development
Seres, a company that may not be widely known in the West, was actually founded in Silicon Valley ten years ago under the name SF Motors. It subsequently underwent a rebranding and established itself in the Chinese market. The company is currently undergoing a significant renewal thanks to a new ownership structure and a partnership with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to create a new car.
Before jumping to conclusions about a car with the TikTok brand and screens pre-loaded with the app, it is worth noting that the partnership is of a somewhat different nature. Seres will collaborate with ByteDance’s cloud and artificial intelligence platform, known as Volcano Engine, to create an extended-range electric vehicle.
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The car will be produced by Saidou Technology, a new group created by Seres to replace the old Landian brand, according to industry insiders cited by Lanjing Auto. This entity has attracted nearly $1 billion in investment. Part of the funds came from a fund of the Shapingba District government in Chongqing, which now owns a 34.5% stake. The remaining capital includes well-known Chinese suppliers such as CATL subsidiary Wending Investment, Bojun Technology, and Xingyuu Shares.
AI-Powered Technologies
The new model is reportedly set to be a stylish crossover focused on providing buyers with an AI-driven experience. While Aito vehicles, also owned by the Seres Group, rely on Huawei technologies, Saidou cars are believed to use the AI cockpit and large language model capabilities of Volcano Engine, serving as the ‘brain’ for all of the car’s interactive functions. The ByteDance-owned company will also provide cloud and infrastructure support.
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CarNewsChina believes the new car will be aimed at a younger buyer demographic. The abandonment of the Landian brand is not unexpected, as its budget models did not sell very well, with a maximum sales volume of approximately 29,000 units in 2024.
Seres is not the only Chinese company utilizing ByteDance’s AI division. Last month, it was revealed that the Roewe brand, owned by SAIC, also entered a partnership with Volcano Engine to develop AI-focused automotive technical architectures, demonstrated on the five-seat Jia Yue 07 model.
This collaboration signals that Chinese automakers are increasingly integrating AI technologies from major tech companies to create smarter, more personalized vehicles. The replacement of the Landian brand with Saidou and the attraction of significant investments from government and private entities indicate Seres’ serious intentions to compete in the electric vehicle segment, especially among young people who value innovation and digital technologies. The use of ByteDance’s Volcano Engine platform could prove to be a key advantage, allowing for the creation of a unique interface and features that competitors may find hard to replicate.