AITO’s Million Milestone: Can Huawei’s EV Partner Double Down in Just Two Years?

What if a luxury car brand could achieve what took five years, in just two more? This isn’t a hypothetical question for the Chinese EV landscape; it’s the aggressive new target set by AITO, the Huawei-backed electric vehicle marque. Reaching its one-millionth vehicle milestone on January 13th, AITO has signaled a dramatic acceleration, aiming for the next million units within a mere two years. For Western investors and industry observers, this speed is a stark reminder of the kinetic energy within China’s New Energy Vehicle (NEV) sector.

AITO, the first brand under Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), took five years to reach this initial benchmark, having launched its brand in December 2021. The speed of this ascent, driven by its integration with Huawei’s world-class technology stack—specifically the DriveONE platform and the HarmonyOS smart cockpit—is unprecedented for a premium brand in China. This deep collaboration is proving to be a winning formula, setting AITO apart from competitors who rely solely on traditional auto manufacturing models.

H2: The Huawei Factor: Why AITO’s Speed Matters to Global OEMs

The core narrative driving AITO’s success isn’t just volume; it’s the technology that underpins every vehicle. The partnership between Seres (the manufacturing arm) and Huawei (the tech provider) is a blueprint for future automotive development, making AITO a proxy for Huawei’s overall consumer technology dominance.

H3: Product Matrix Dominance in High-Value Segments

AITO’s model lineup—M5, M7, M8, and the flagship M9—has quickly covered the premium SUV space, ranging from roughly 200,000 yuan to 600,000 yuan. This portfolio strategy has yielded significant results:

• M9 Flagship Success: The AITO M9 leads the segment priced above RMB 500,000, commanding a 70% market share in that niche.
• M8 Strength: The M8 has held the top sales spot in the RMB 400,000 segment for six consecutive months.
• Rapid Iteration: The brand saw explosive growth in 2024, peaking with monthly deliveries over 57,000 units in December 2025.

H3: Technology as a Competitive Moat

The rapid adoption of new software versions, like the upgrade to HarmonyOS 3 across the lineup in 2023, demonstrates a software-first approach that legacy automakers are scrambling to emulate. This focus results in superior user metrics:

• Industry-leading Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
• Top-tier residual value retention, a crucial factor for premium perception.

H2: The ‘Second Million’ Challenge: Analyzing the Aggressive Outlook

Seres Chairman Zhang Xinghai’s declaration to achieve the second million units in two years—half the time it took for the first—is a bold statement, especially when considering increasing domestic competition from players like Li Auto and new entrants like Xiaomi. This next phase hinges on several factors:

1. Ecosystem Deepening: AITO is focusing on unifying technology and service standards across the broader Harmony Intelligent Mobility ecosystem.
2. New Market Segments: Plans for a new, more affordable M6 SUV are reportedly in the works for Q2 2026, targeting the RMB 250,000-level family market. This move will be critical to sustaining volume growth outside the current premium focus.
3. Global Ambitions: The brand plans to accelerate overseas expansion, though details remain sparse for the US/EU market where current competition is shaped by different policy headwinds, such as EV mandates in some regions.

For the West, AITO’s trajectory is a vital case study. It confirms that in China’s EV market, scale is achievable not just through electrification, but through a seamless integration of proprietary hardware and software ecosystems. See our analysis on how Huawei’s ecosystem strategy differs from traditional automotive partnerships. While Western OEMs grapple with supply chain normalisation and shifting consumer sentiment regarding EV incentives, AITO is focused on doubling down on its technological lead.

AITO’s five-year journey to one million, powered by a unique manufacturing-tech partnership, has established its premium credentials. The real test for AITO, and indeed for the entire HIMA strategy, will be whether this aggressive two-year target solidifies their leadership or strains their operational capacity against an ever-tightening competitive field. For now, their record-breaking speed serves as a clear signal to established global players: the pace of disruption in Chinese NEVs is only increasing.