Gasgoo Munich- The industry woke up to major news on the first day of the National Day holiday: SERES and Huawei have launched a new round of negotiations. Officially announced on October 1, the two sides inked a strategic upgrade for the AITO business under Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) on September 30.
Looking ahead to the next five years, the companies said they will double down on AITO's core positioning as a high-end intelligent vehicle brand. They plan to form a dedicated team for the AITO business to upgrade operations, aiming to serve users through specialized management and continue elevating the AITO "new luxury" brand.
Image source: AITO
Just half a month ago, HIMA and AITO jointly released a statement on their cooperation model. It announced that AITO would explore a new collaboration framework under HIMA, with SERES taking the lead on product definition, design, brand marketing, retail channels, and service systems, while Huawei Terminal provides support.
Image source: AITO
The news quickly became the focal point of the industry, sparking market speculation that Huawei might be parting ways with SERES. Yet, barely two weeks later, a joint statement emerged signaling an upgrade in their cooperation, sending the topic back to the top of social media trending lists.
The September 15 statement clarified that operational control of AITO would shift from Huawei Terminal to SERES. This marks the first time Huawei has fully returned the operational reins of a mature brand to a partner since HIMA began operations. The adjustment does not affect other brands like Luxeed, Stelato, Maextro, or SAIC Shangjie, which remain under Huawei's full-process leadership.
Gasgoo previously interviewed a senior industry insider who has long followed the partnership. According to the source, the adjustment was triggered by the expiration of the cooperation contract at midnight on September 16. The two sides had been in renewal talks, and "the adjustments to the cooperation model reflect a consensus reached based on their respective needs for the new term."
On a functional level, the insider stated clearly that "the lead for specific functions has shifted from Huawei Terminal to SERES, with Huawei Terminal providing empowerment." This covers areas such as product definition, design, channels, and services.
Notably, the insider emphasized the logic behind the changes in retail channels. Previously, Huawei Terminal decided whether AITO models would be sold in Huawei stores and how store resources were allocated. Post-adjustment, "decisions have shifted from unilateral Huawei control to joint consultation between Huawei and SERES."
This means that as Huawei stores remain a resource within the Huawei system, the negotiation mechanism between them and SERES will become a critical operational link under the new model. The news of fresh talks on October 1 indicates that both sides intend to further upgrade the AITO business to better serve users through dedicated management.
Of course, the transfer of control does not imply that Huawei is pulling back. As a shareholder in Yinwang (Huawei's new smart vehicle technology entity), SERES has equity-level guarantees for the priority of Huawei's technology supply.
From an industry perspective, Huawei's HIMA model has evolved from AITO's early dominance to a multi-brand matrix including AITO, Luxeed, Stelato, Maextro, and SAIC Shangjie. Huawei's market appeal is undeniable. However, with brand, channel, and technology resources now needing to be distributed across an increasing number of partners, the mechanism for coordinating and allocating resources across parallel brands faces higher and more complex demands. Balancing the interests and confidence of all parties within limited resources has become a core governance issue for Huawei's automotive business.
"In actual execution, there will inevitably be a run-in and adaptation period; it won't be confirmed instantly," the industry insider told Gasgoo. At the time, this may have been a cautious expectation of the adjustment's pace. But looking back two weeks later, it precisely summarizes the essence of this change: the Huawei-SERES partnership is entering a new stage requiring dynamic calibration, rather than a simple "breakup" or "reconciliation."
AITO has surpassed 1.2 million users and is entering a new phase of brand growth. Built from scratch by Huawei and SERES, reaching a million users is itself a complete validation of the cross-border cooperation model between a tech giant and a traditional automaker. Because of this, the renegotiation and readjustment surrounding their cooperation model will have implications that extend far beyond a single brand or two companies.This restructuring between Huawei and SERES is exploring a sustainable institutional path for industry convergence, but the final form of that path still requires continuous testing by time and the market.
