Seres and CATL file 420 kW Aiva ME7 electric SUV in China

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published regulatory approval documents on Oct. 16, 2026, clearing the Aiva ME7 electric crossover co-developed by automaker Seres Group and battery manufacturer CATL.

The regulatory filing officially registers a 420 kW dual-motor all-wheel-drive configuration and a 270 kW single-motor setup. Both variants share a 3,050 mm wheelbase and a top road speed of 255 km/h.

The submission marks CATL's structural transition from an external cell contractor into an equity-backed vehicle platform architect. The battery maker holds an indirect 9.89% stake in operating entity Chongqing Saidou Technology.

Saidou Technology, formerly known as Landian Technology, completed an RMB 6.671 billion ($993 million) recapitalization earlier this year. Seres retained a 32.96% equity holding following that corporate restructuring.

State-owned investment fund Shaci Zhiyuan, backed by the Shapingba district government of Chongqing, serves as the primary shareholder with a 34.5% stake. CATL participated through its private investment arm, Wending Investment.

The listing appeared in the 412th product catalog for road motor vehicle manufacturers. Vehicles in China must complete this public verification procedure before entering commercial assembly and showroom distribution.

Seres will manufacture the five-seat crossover at its Phoenix production facility in Chongqing. The site operates dedicated flexible manufacturing lines designed for high-voltage pure-electric passenger architectures.

CATL manufactures the vehicle's ternary lithium-ion battery cells. Regional subsidiary CATL (Sichuan) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. handles final energy storage assembly.

The supply arrangement builds on a dedicated battery pack facility operating directly inside the Seres production plant. CATL activated two cell-to-pack assembly lines at the Chongqing complex in June 2025.

Seres and CATL signed a strategic agreement on Oct. 10 to accelerate construction of a second battery pack phase. That expansion will add 10 to 12 GWh of annual assembly capacity.

The project raises combined battery pack capacity at the Chongqing manufacturing complex to more than 20 GWh per year. The facility supports both Aiva and existing flagship models.

Seres built its recent balance-sheet expansion on the Aito brand operated in partnership with Huawei Technologies Co. Huawei controls vehicle software architecture, cockpit operating systems and retail network channels across that model line.

The Aiva partnership gives Seres an independent vehicle track outside Huawei's operating structure. Seres retains vehicle manufacturing and chassis engineering responsibilities, while CATL anchors energy systems and powertrain architecture.

The Aiva ME7 measures 4,999 mm in length, 1,999 mm in width, and 1,616 mm or 1,626 mm in height. Chassis hardware includes certified towing connections rated for a 700 kg trailering limit.

The single-motor entry variant relies on a rear electric motor delivering 270 kW of peak power and 70 kW rated output. Curb weight ranges between 2,295 kg and 2,370 kg.

Chongqing Qingshan Industrial Co., Ltd. manufactures the rear motor, designated as model QT63TZ220001. Qingshan supplies drive units and transmissions to multiple state-owned automakers.

The dual-motor all-wheel-drive trim adds an auxiliary front electric motor rated at 150 kW peak power. That configuration raises combined system output to 420 kW, or 563 horsepower.

Chongqing Jinkang Powertrain New Energy Co., Ltd., an internal powertrain subsidiary of Seres, builds the front motor under model code YY63YS230003. Curb weight for the dual-motor trim reaches 2,480 kg.

Saidou Technology introduced the Aiva brand on June 9, pitching an operating concept focused on artificial intelligence. ByteDance cloud division Volcengine supplies machine-learning algorithms and intelligent cockpit software modules.

Seres presented the exterior design of the production ME7 in Paris on Sept. 28 during Paris Fashion Week. The company intends to export the vehicle to Europe and the Middle East.

For CATL, vehicle equity investments defend corporate profit margins against downstream price cuts. Battery suppliers in China face aggressive component procurement pressure from high-volume carmakers like BYD.

The battery maker previously acquired minority equity holdings in electric vehicle builders Avatr Technology and Neta Auto. Deep integration into shared platforms ensures multi-year cell supply allocation at protected margins.

Saidou Technology is currently negotiating terms to connect the Aiva ME7 to CATL's Chocolate battery-swap network, industry sources said. That swap network operates over 2,000 passenger-car stations across 31 Chinese provinces.

Connecting to an operational swap ecosystem allows Aiva to separate battery lease fees from initial vehicle retail pricing. That mechanism reduces upfront buyer cash outlays in the RMB 200,000 ($29,480) price bracket.

The ministry filing does not state total battery pack kilowatt-hour capacity or certified driving range, and regulators have not published whether the platform includes standardized swap hardware.

The ministry's public comment period for Batch 412 closes on Oct. 22, 2026, before vehicles receive final commercial production licenses. Commercial pre-orders for the ME7 will open in early 2027.