Seres Super Factory. Credit: Seres Understand China EV’s Market Real-time notifications when critical EV data is released All important data in one place 2,000,000+ data points Become a member Seres Group is set to launch a new automotive brand under a new company, “Saidou Technology” (formerly known as Chongqing Landian Technology). The new brand is the result of a collaboration between Seres and TikTok’s parent company ByteDance’s cloud and AI platform, Volcano Engine. Strategic restructuring and new brand identity The transition follows a major capital restructuring of the former Landian brand. On May 29, Chongqing Landian Technology officially rebranded to Chongqing Saidou Technology. The restructuring involved a capital injection of 6.67 billion yuan (952.9 million USD) from a consortium of investors, including the Chongqing Shapingba District government-backed fund “Shazhi Zhiyuan,” CATL’s subsidiary Wending Investment, Bojun Technology, and Xingyu Shares. Following this transaction, Seres has relinquished its controlling interest in the entity, with its stake reduced to approximately 32.96%, while the Shapingba government-backed platform has become the largest shareholder with a 34.50% stake. This move is designed to optimise Seres’ asset structure and remove the loss-making legacy business from its consolidated financial statements. The ByteDance company. Credit: Jiemian Product strategy and AI integration According to industry insiders quoted by Lanjing Auto, Saidou Technology is preparing to launch its first model within this year. The vehicle is expected to be a crossover, positioned between an SUV and a sedan, and will offer both pure electric and range-extender powertrain options. Production is slated for the Seres Phoenix factory, which is currently undergoing retooling. The brand will distinguish itself through a heavy focus on AI-driven user experiences. Unlike the Aito brand, which utilises Huawei’s Qiankun intelligent driving solution, Saidou is expected to leverage Volcano Engine’s advanced AI cockpit and large language model capabilities. While Volcano Engine will provide the “automotive brain” for interactive features, the company has reiterated that it has no plans to enter the intelligent driving (autonomous driving) sector itself, focusing instead on providing cloud and infrastructure support. The new brand is positioned to target a younger, more active demographic and will feature a dedicated sales channel for both domestic and international markets. This launch represents a significant pivot from the original Landian brand, which struggled in the 100,000 to 150,000 yuan (14,300 to 21,400 USD) entry-level market. Some other Chinese car brands, such as Leapmotor and Xiaomi, are also planning to launch sub-brands this year. In May 2026, Seres new energy vehicle sales reached 33,476 units, cumulative sales from January to May totalled 145,108 units, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.14%.
