Luxury through Technology: AITO’s new way forward

The Aito Cyber Tour in Chongqing

When we think of automotive luxury, there’s a certain but consistent image in our heads as to what that may be.

Often, we’re expecting the vehicle to be built by artisans with lines being handpainted and interior wood trim being bookmatched and leather upholstery being handsewn. And we’re thinking of factories in old-world Europe amidst the lush greenery of Britain, the dense forests of Germany, or under the beautiful sunshine in Italy. More importantly, we’re thinking of brands that have decades, if not over a century, of heritage, building fine examples of automobiles that can be considered luxurious.

And now comes a brand that has none of those classic indicators that any legacy luxury automobile marque has, but is aiming to deliver that kind of experience nonetheless. They don’t want to do it the old way; rather, they want to achieve it through intelligent technology.

This is what we experienced when we visited AITO in China. They wanted to show us who they are, how they build cars, and how they drive. But the question remains: Can they deliver an upmarket automotive experience?

A few days prior, we had landed in Chongqing. This is about as far inland in China as I have ever been, and I was excited to see what the city has to offer. But wow, I was not prepared for the heat right from the moment we exited the air-conditioned airport.

Chongqing at this time of year is brutally hot; temperatures were hovering at 45 degrees Celsius, and the humidity was so intense that you could feel the energy just being drained from you just by walking. If we had this weather in the Philippines, we would already be calling off classes, but the people here are going about their day. I’m just annoyed that I forgot my Jisulife back in Manila.

We link up with the people of AITO, and I’m surprised to see quite a few familiar faces. It seems the brand has attracted quite a lot of talent from other automakers that we’ve worked with from China before. That says a lot, because people don’t really move from one brand to another unless they see a better prospect for growth. We don’t mean just personal growth in terms of compensation, but many of the Chinese executives I’ve known are driven by a desire to deliver. For them to move to newcomer AITO from their previous (and already established) brand says a lot.

At the welcome gathering, we were given a brief on what AITO is and why it exists. AITO is the new brand name for the upscale models under the Seres Group, which is based in Chongqing. Now they have marketed vehicles badged as Seres here in the Philippines under QSJ Motors for about a year, but for 2025, they have transitioned to using the AITO brand name instead of Seres.

The AITO name itself is a bit of a curiosity. It’s not all caps in the same way that Mini wanted to become MINI, as AITO is an acronym, or rather an abbreviation: Adding Intelligence to auTO. Get it? Unusual, right? But I think the message is clear: this company wants to use advanced technology to elevate the automotive experience, as they have a pretty solid partner in Huawei to do it.  That’s a big advantage, on top of the other things that make China’s car industry the one to watch in the automotive world.

Up bright and early, we left the hotel aboard a fleet of AITO’s best: the M9. This is a full-size SUV, one that has hints found in other luxury brands like Maybach and RR, with that two-tone finish with the darker color below, and silver for the pillars and roof. I really do wish we had boarded the vehicle at night to get a peek at the dramatic lighting effects of the car, but I guess the luxurious interior will have to do.

I’m not driving the AITO M9 yet, as getting a temporary Chinese license isn’t available in this region; that means I’m just sitting in the middle row, which is fitted with some of the best relaxation seats I’ve ever sat in. It feels more Alphard than SUV, but with really good massage functions. In reality, I’m just happy the A/C of this car was built to take the heat of their hometown at this time of year. If it’s good enough here, it’s way more than enough for the Philippines.

After negotiating Chongqing’s tight and undulating landscape with so many bridges, we arrived at the AITO user center. It’s basically a big dealership: customers come here to peruse AITO’s models, book test drives, buy cars, have them serviced, and other standard dealer things. What isn’t standard is the lounge where customers can hang out with their kids, or even book tables or rooms for meetings. Customers can work here, and they can charge whilst enjoying a really good cup of coffee at the café. They actually have a large bay in the back with many charging points where customers can power up their vehicles, not that you actually need to.

The M9, like many of AITO's (and before that, Seres') models, is a range extender EV. They have other models, such as BEVs and series-parallel HEVs, but the key really will be the RE-EV for the Philippines. It’s a fancy way of saying a series hybrid with plug-in capability. That’s critical because given our laws and definitions, this would be classified as an EV. The reason is that the engine acts only as a generator with no mechanical link between the gas engine and the wheels; a hybrid under our law is any vehicle that can be propelled directly by an engine and by a motor. 

Whatever the case, it’s a smooth operator. When you’re in EV mode, the M9 is supremely silent and vibration-free. Even when the engine kicks in, you can’t really feel it because it just hums away at a steady RPM as opposed to having the engine speed vary as the speed of the M9 goes up. This technology is also used in their other vehicles like the AITO M5 (formerly the Seres 5), the M7, and the M8.

They had an action-packed day for us, and it involved a visit to their “Super Factory” that produces all of their models. Now, if you’ve been to this area of China before, you’ll know that it’s pretty much hills, mountains, and valleys. That’s also why it’s hot because not only is it summer, there’s also not much in the way of wind because of the geography. But it also provides a challenge to establishing a factory. Hilly terrain isn’t ideal for a factory that needs a lot of flat space.

So what did Seres do? They made their own flat space to put their megafactory on by effectively flattening a hill. We can only imagine what that costs, but it shows they are serious about their ambitions to become big in China and become a force in the wider automotive world outside of their borders.

From an electric shuttle bus, they took us on a tour of their factory. We passed through the press shop where big hydraulic machines stamp out body panels. We saw thousands of robots doing the riveting, welding, and repositioning of the vehicles. We saw autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) of different shapes and sizes, from tiny robots that lift parts carts, and follow invisible waypoints on the concrete floor to even cab-less tractor heads pulling trailers in the facility.

I know a lot of people have a picture in their mind when they hear Made in China that it involves armies of workers doing manual labor on the assembly line, but truth be told, we saw a level of automation that truly gives the factory the “Super” status. The only real workers we saw were the ones on final assembly, overseeing the machines, doing quality checks, and test-driving the cars on a simulated rough road. And they’re doing it at a fast pace; there are tens of thousands of orders for their models, which are fast becoming popular for customers in the luxury space in China.

Impressive as the factory is and great as the ride may be, it’s now time to drive. Like I mentioned earlier, driving on public roads in China is difficult because you need a special temporary license that is only offered in 2 cities (that I know of). So what AITO did instead was to close off an entire resort so we could drive there. I’m just thankful it’s not a parking lot drive.

The vehicle I rode in was the M9, and that will be the one I will drive. After I found the English translation on the screen, I adjusted everything to my liking and got moving. And of course, it didn't disappoint in terms of acceleration. I mean, these vehicles are quick because of how an electric motor delivers its torque. Even for such a heavy and fully equipped vehicle with myself, an instructor (a racing driver, I learned later), and a translator, it was still quick. The numbers don’t mean much, but the feeling in the seat of your pants is really great.

As expected, there was some roll in the corners, but the vehicle managed well. The brand wanted to showcase the technology, so we pulled over into a small parking lot, and he activated a function called auto valet. What it basically does is use a series of sensors to scan and designate parking spots and effectively map the parking lot. When the M9 does that, you literally tap the parking spot on the screen, and the M9 parks itself. There’s also an app you can use wherein if you deem that it’s a bit tight for you to get into the doors (say, if those beside you decide to park too close), you can have the car come out of the parking spot on its own. Neat stuff, and very cool.

Once we got back on the nice and winding road around the lake and resort, I then activated the intelligent cruise control of the vehicle. I say intelligent because (1) it maintains the speed but prioritizes a safe gap to a vehicle in front, and (2) the M9 will steer on its own based on the road and based on the route you picked on the map. Actually, I got a sampling of this on the way to the site, wherein the driver just activated it, and the M9 literally just follows the map guidance.

The feeling at first is unnerving because I’m not super familiar with AITO yet to trust it, but in a closed course and controlled environment, I got the hang of it. My hand was literally just resting on the steering wheel to make sure it didn’t veer off (it didn’t), and I was scanning the road ahead, but the LIDAR scanner just above the windshield (which kind of reminds me of a taxi meter) already had me beat. “I see everything,” said the Terminator. “Me too,” said the M9.

I have a few more laps around the fairly long course to get a better feel for the M9, but the more I drive, the more impressed I am. And the instructor beside let me go faster and faster because he realized I knew what I was doing in the bends. He didn't have to interfere, and neither did the car.

Now it has to be said: there were some things I had spotted that need addressing. Several examples of the M9 we drove had some wear and tear. There were also some units in the fleet that had one letter missing from the AITO emblem on the liftgate. Also, the very unit I was driving and riding had a few minor loose panels inside, like the cover for the voice command microphone on the ceiling behind the driver.

I brought it up with the AITO executives, and I was told they didn’t have enough demo units for our group, so they borrowed some company cars assigned to the executives just to have enough cars for all of us. And some have the expected wear and tear, so all is well and good. What I did tell them was what I had observed, particularly at their factory vis-à-vis all the other factories I’ve had a chance to visit in Thailand, Japan, China, and more.

Simply put: I think they can pace it down a bit

That is going to be very contrary to Chinese manufacturing culture, as AITO right now seems to be going full speed with production, and they can achieve a quality and consistency of build that is already comparable to many Japanese brands. But judging by the presence of so many BMW models in their corporate videos and demonstrations, they’re benchmarking higher.

For any brand to try that, they need to take their time in the quality control phase, hence the pace down. Remember the part about the drivers inspecting the cars after production? Slow it down, and take more time there to measure, adjust, so on and so forth. That’s how the premium brands work at their factories, and that’s why they are coveted, respected, and why customers are willing to pay top dollar and willing to wait for their units.

Whether they ignore what I said, well, it’s up to them. They’re pushing full speed ahead because there are lots of customer orders to fill and definitely a lot of pressure on the brand to deliver. The intelligent technology is impressive, the drive is enjoyable, the ride is great, and yes, the luxurious feel is there whether you choose to drive the M5, M7, M8, or M9.

Luxury, however, isn’t about the technology, even though that’s what they want to convey. Luxury is about thinking of what the customer wants and needs so they don’t have to do it themselves. It’s about the thoughtfulness in delivering a service or a product, and in that regard, I think they’re already there.