Seres-backed Saidou Technology, a Chongqing-based electric vehicle maker, launched its AIVA brand in China on June 9 and said it was working with ByteDance unit Volcengine on smart cockpit technology for the mass-market EV segment.

Saidou was renamed from Landian on May 29 after a 6.7 billion yuan (US$985 million) capital increase and share expansion. After the deal, Seres became Saidou’s second-largest shareholder rather than remaining in control.

The move reshapes Seres’ push into lower-priced models. Before the rebrand, Landian sold the E5 and E5 Plus sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, for about 100,000 yuan (US$15,000) to 160,000 yuan (US$24,000).

Saidou president Li Bo said AIVA’s first production model will be unveiled this year, without disclosing pricing.

Saidou is reportedly targeting younger buyers. Its first model may combine sedan and SUV features and come in battery-electric and range-extended versions. Volcengine has also partnered on other automotive cockpit projects.

The launch comes as China’s EV price war spreads to in-car AI features. ByteDance said more than 50 car brands used its Doubao AI model.

Separately, Avatr, a premium EV brand backed by Changan Automobile, CATL, and Huawei, said on Weibo that a newly appeared brand name’s design was “extremely similar” to its own.

🔗 Source: Reuters