Seres is set to unveil a new energy vehicle brand called “Saidou” on June 9, according to multiple sources. The first production model is expected to arrive in 2026, positioned as a crossover between a sedan and an SUV, and will be built at Seres’ Phoenix Factory.
The launch of Saidou represents Seres’ strategic move to restructure and revitalize its underperforming assets. In February, Seres announced a cooperation agreement with the Shapingba District Government of Chongqing to establish a new entity backed by existing Blue Electric (Landian) assets, with local government funds and investors injecting cash into the venture.
On May 25, Seres announced that Chongqing Blue Electric Technology Co., Ltd. had completed a capital increase and share expansion totaling approximately 6.671 billion yuan (approximately $920 million). Five investors participated, including Shaci Zhiyuan (a local Chongqing state-owned entity) and CATL. Shaci Zhiyuan invested 3.433 billion yuan, securing a 34.5% stake to become the largest shareholder. Seres now holds 32.96%, stepping down to the second-largest shareholder. This change in shareholding structure means Saidou Technology is no longer consolidated into Seres’ financial statements, effectively divesting the persistently loss-making assets.
Industry insiders indicate that Blue Electric (Landian) was in urgent need of transformation, and bringing in partners in artificial intelligence and energy is intended to help Saidou Technology pivot toward the mass-market new energy sector while revitalizing existing assets. Blue Electric was originally launched as part of Seres’ strategy to expand in the NEV market and reduce reliance on a single partnership. However, as a fresh brand, it faced significant challenges in brand awareness and channel development. To date, Blue Electric has only three models — the E3, E5, and E5 PLUS — with sales of just 19,962 units over the past year.
On October 9, 2025, Seres’ subsidiary Chongqing Phoenix Technology Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with ByteDance’s Volcanic Engine (Volcano Engine). The partnership focuses on collaborative research around “multi-modal cloud-edge intelligent robot decision-making, control, and human-machine enhancement technologies,” aiming to create a new model integrating technology with real-world scenarios. Under this agreement, Volcanic Engine will leverage its strengths in language, vision, multimodal AI, and general-purpose models to provide intelligent algorithms and computing power support for the new brand, bringing AI technology into automotive products. Notably, Seres emphasized that this is a framework agreement with no specific financial commitments, and detailed cooperation projects will require separate agreements.
Based on currently disclosed product plans, Saidou’s first model is expected to launch within this year as a crossover positioned between an SUV and a sedan. It will be offered in both all-electric (BEV) and extended-range (EREV) powertrain options, and will be produced at the Seres Phoenix Factory. Importantly, the Saidou brand’s intelligent driving solution will not adopt Huawei’s Qiankun ADS system. The brand name “Saidou” is widely interpreted by industry observers as a direct reference to ByteDance’s Doubao large language model, as the two companies are collaborating to integrate the Doubao AI model into the vehicle’s infotainment system. The project is currently in the research and development phase. We will continue to follow this story for more updates.
