Saidou Technology
Category: AI in Automotive
Seres Group-backed AI automotive company that launched the AIVA brand, integrating ByteDance's Doubao AI model for smart cockpit technology in China's mainstream EV segment above RMB 200,000. Saidou Technology was founded in 2026. The company is led by Li Bo (李博). Based in Chongqing, China. Total funding raised: $920M. Latest round: Venture Round. Key investors include Shaci Zhiyuan (Chongqing state capital, 34.5% stake), Seres Group (32.96% stake), CATL (9.89% stake via Wending Investment), Bojun Technology, Xingyu Co., Ltd..
- Founded
- 2026
- Headquarters
- Chongqing, China
- Total funding
- $920M
Value proposition
AI-defined vehicles that transform cars from transportation tools into embodied AI life forms with perception, memory, and proactive personalization, powered by ByteDance's Doubao large language model and Volcengine smart cockpit technology.
Products and solutions
AIVA brand (AI-defined EV brand), AIVA ME7 (first mass-production model, crossover coupe SUV, launching 2026), AIVA Origin Concept (concept car), BEV and EREV powertrain options
Unique value
First mass-market EV brand in China to deeply integrate ByteDance's Doubao AI model (the most widely used AI model in China) as a core differentiator, creating "physical AI" vehicles rather than simply adding AI features to cars.
Target customer
Chinese mass-market EV buyers in the above RMB 200,000 ($29,540) price segment, targeting younger, tech-savvy consumers seeking AI-powered smart vehicles.
Industries served
Automotive, Electric Vehicles, AI-powered Smart Cockpits, Mobility
Technology advantage
Deep integration with ByteDance's Volcengine (Doubao LLM for smart cockpit); Backed by Seres Group (manufacturing, supply chain, engineering); CATL battery technology partnership; Chongqing state capital support; Multi-modal cloud-edge AI architecture for embodied intelligence in vehicles
How they differentiate
Unlike competitors who add AI features to existing car platforms, Saidou's AIVA brand is built from the ground up as "AI-defined vehicles" — cars designed around AI as the core architecture. The ByteDance partnership provides access to Doubao (China's most popular AI model) for deep smart cockpit integration, while Seres provides manufacturing expertise and CATL provides battery technology. This contrasts with sister brand AITO which relies on Huawei's ecosystem.
Main competitors
BYD (Song Plus), Leapmotor (C11), Avatr (premium EV brand backed by Changan, CATL, Huawei)
Key partnerships
ByteDance/Volcengine (Doubao AI model, smart cockpit technology), CATL (battery technology, charging/swapping systems), DeepRoute.ai (expected autonomous driving partner), Seres Group (manufacturing at Phoenix Factory, supply chain), Chongqing Shapingba District Government (state capital investment)
Major milestones
2023: Landian (Blue Electric) brand launched by Seres as mass-market EV brand, 2024: Landian sold ~20,000 units, underperforming, 2025-10: Seres subsidiary signed framework agreement with ByteDance Volcengine for embodied AI cooperation, 2026-04: Landian Technology registered as new entity, 2026-05-25: Completed ¥6.67 billion capital expansion with Shaci Zhiyuan, CATL and others, 2026-05-29: Renamed from Chongqing Landian Technology to Chongqing Saidou Technology (赛豆科技), 2026-06-09: Launched AIVA AI auto brand with ByteDance partnership, unveiled AIVA Origin Concept car, 2026 (later): AIVA ME7 mass-production model expected to debut
Market positioning
Mass-market AI-defined EV brand positioned above RMB 200,000, competing in China's mainstream EV segment. Differentiates through ByteDance AI integration rather than Huawei tech (unlike sister brand AITO). Backed by a unique tripartite structure of state capital (Chongqing), industrial capital (Seres, CATL), and tech (ByteDance).
Geographic focus
China (domestic mass-market EV segment), with plans for overseas markets
About Li Bo (李博)
Former Huawei Intelligent Vehicle Product Department Director (Product部部长); Former Seres Group Vice President and Overseas Business Unit President. Led the initial negotiations for the ByteDance partnership at Seres.
