Seres 7 in Indonesia – renamed Huawei Aito 7, 6-seater electric SUV with extended range, up to 449 PS, 1,150 km range
Besides Episode 9Dongfeng Sokon Automobile (DFSK) also previewed the Seres 7 at the recent Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS). Like its sibling, it ditches the Aito brand – a collaboration with telecoms equipment and smartphone maker Huawei – used in the Chinese market.
The Seres 7 may be smaller than the massive 9, but despite looking like a C-segment SUV, it’s still not exactly what you’d call small. At 5,020mm long, 1,945mm wide and 1,775mm tall, it sits between the BMW X5 and X7 in terms of dimensions, although its 2,820mm wheelbase is smaller than both. It’s no surprise, then, that the car can seat up to six, the second row being electrically adjustable ‘zero gravity’ captain’s chairs with retractable footrests.
Like the Seres 9, the 7 is a range-extender, with the standard rear-wheel drive model powered by a single motor producing 272 PS (200 kW) and 360 Nm of torque. The all-wheel drive version adds a front motor producing 177 PS (130 kW), for a total system output of 449 PS (330 kW) and 660 Nm. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 7.8 seconds and 4.8 seconds, respectively.
All Seres 7s are powered by a 48 kWh battery, which gives a WLTP range of 200 km on the RWD model and 175 km with AWD. If that’s not enough, you can opt for a 152 PS 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine to give you more power and increase the total range from 1,050 km (AWD) to 1,150 km (RWD). Unlike the Seres 9, there’s no pure electric version of the Seres 7.
Seres/Aito doesn’t provide DC fast-charging specs for the 7, only saying it will charge the battery from 30% to 80% in half an hour; by contrast, AC charging from 20% to 90% will take five hours.
The Seres 7’s design is defined by its grille and wraparound headlights, large lower grille, clean side surfaces (aided by pop-out door handles) and full-width taillights integrated into the rear hatch (like the Audi Q7). The car you see here rides on some pretty nice 20-inch two-tone turbine-style alloy wheels, although there’s a 21-inch option too.
Inside, the Seres 7 is as minimalist as the outside, with a horizontal dashboard, full-width air vent design, luxurious brown, tan and wood tones, and a wide center console with dual Tesla-style Qi wireless chargers.
A large 15.6-inch infotainment screen and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster dominate. Huawei’s expertise is evident here – the Seres 7’s technology runs on the company’s HarmonyOS operating system, which provides a smartphone-like user experience. However, Huawei’s branding is completely erased here, presumably due to ongoing sanctions against the company outside of China.
In terms of safety, the Seres 7 comes with eight airbags and a host of driver assistance features including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, lane change assist, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert and automatic high beams.
A recent facelift in China gave the Aito 7 a slimmer lower grille and an upgraded sensor package that includes roof-mounted lidar sensors. This adds Navigation Control Assistant (NCA), which offers highly automated driving on city and highway roads, along with driverless parking feature.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Car.
