Chinese automaker Saidou Technology, backed by Seres, has launched a new electric vehicle brand called Aiva, positioning it as a platform for what the company describes as “AI-defined vehicles” designed for the emerging artificial intelligence era.
The brand was unveiled at a launch event on Tuesday, where Saidou also introduced the Aiva Origin Concept, a crossover SUV concept that previews the company’s future design and technology direction.
Aiva said its vehicle lineup will target the mainstream market segment above 200,000 yuan ($29,540), with its first production model, the Aiva ME7, scheduled to make its official debut later in 2026.
Brand Centers on Artificial Intelligence
According to the company, the name Aiva stands for “Artificial Intelligence Voyage Ahead,” reflecting its strategy of integrating AI into vehicle development from the earliest stages of product design.
Aiva said it intends to move beyond traditional vehicle functions and create what it describes as embodied AI systems capable of understanding user preferences, perceiving environmental conditions and proactively providing personalized mobility experiences.
The company argues that future vehicles should be defined by artificial intelligence rather than by conventional automotive engineering alone.
Partnership With ByteDance Unit
As part of its technology strategy, Aiva announced a partnership with Volcengine, the cloud computing and artificial intelligence division of ByteDance.
Under the agreement, Volcengine will provide core technologies including the Doubao large language model and intelligent cockpit solutions. The collaboration is expected to support multimodal interactions and integration with a broader digital ecosystem inside the vehicle.
ByteDance recently reiterated that it has no plans to manufacture vehicles or launch its own automotive brand, emphasizing that its role in the sector is focused on supplying AI technologies to automakers.
While Aiva detailed its cooperation with Volcengine, the company did not announce plans to use Huawei’s Qiankun intelligent driving platform. Chinese media reports have suggested that Aiva could instead work with autonomous driving startup DeepRoute.
Restructuring Creates Independent Business
The launch follows a significant restructuring of Saidou Technology, which was previously known as Landian Technology and operated under Seres.
The company recently completed an equity reorganization and capital increase that brought in approximately 6.67 billion yuan in fresh funding.
Following the transaction, Chongqing state-backed Shaci Zhiyuan became the largest shareholder with a stake of about 34.5%, while Seres reduced its holding to approximately 32.96%, becoming the second-largest shareholder.
Battery manufacturer CATL also participated in the investment round and now owns nearly 9.9% of Saidou.
The restructuring allows Seres to separate the business from its listed financial statements while broadening its automotive portfolio beyond the Aito brand, which it jointly developed with Huawei.
Manufacturing and Energy Support
Aiva will operate independently in areas including product development, branding and commercial operations, while continuing to receive manufacturing and supply-chain support from Seres.
The company’s first production model is expected to be built at Seres’ Phoenix manufacturing facility.
CATL will provide battery technology and energy ecosystem support, including charging and battery-swapping solutions for future Aiva vehicles.
Branding Dispute Emerges
The launch has also generated controversy within China’s highly competitive electric vehicle market.
Earlier on Tuesday, Avatr, the electric vehicle brand jointly backed by Changan Automobile, Huawei and CATL, published a statement on social media alleging that the name and branding of “a certain new brand” closely resembled its own identity.
“We firmly resist such copy-and-paste unfair competition behavior and reserve the right to pursue legal liability.”
Although Avatr did not explicitly identify Aiva, local media widely interpreted the statement as referring to the newly launched brand.
Neither Aiva nor Saidou had publicly responded to the comments at the time of the launch event.
