Chinese Luxury: Seres to offer premium EV, range extender lineup in PH

At the Manila International Auto Show, we certainly saw a lot. There were plenty of new car models, plenty of reveals, and lots going on during the event. But there were quite a few brands that we hadn’t heard of, nor expected to actually see. One of those was Seres, a new automobile brand from China that wants to make a mark in the local market.

After nearly two months since the preview at MIAS, they are ready to get started as QSJ Motors Philippines recently held the brand launch for Seres in the country. They intend to offer a variety of electrified and fully electric vehicles that aim to attract customers in the premium and luxury automobile arena. The partnership brings together the electric vehicle manufacturing and technology of Seres and the extensive distribution network of QSJ starting with a flagship showroom in Quezon City next year.

Seres Auto says they have been a trailblazer in the automotive space, evolving from an appliance and automotive spring manufacturer in 1986, transitioning to become an automotive shock absorber manufacturer, to making motorcycles and then partnering up to form DFSK (Dongfeng Sokon Automobile), and finally establishing Seres (formerly SF Motor) in 2016.

Today, Seres specializes in new energy vehicles (NEVs). As is the case with many Chinese automakers, Seres is huge with a workforce exceeding 20,000 personnel, large and robot-intensive factories, and a prominent position among China’s top 500 enterprises. Seres leverages these strengths to offer a variety of vehicles that feature their e-powertrain technologies such as battery systems, electric drives, and electric controls.

The lineup in the Philippines will start with the Seres 5 which is a midsize 5-seater SUV that uses a range-extender plug-in hybrid powertrain. This can be had as a rear wheel drive or as a four-wheel drive with up to 487 PS and 664 NM. The engine/range extender is a 1.5L turbo gasoline engine. The range is claimed to go up as high as 1,250 kilometers.

The next vehicle is the Seres 5 SF or 5 Saker Falcon (refer to the main image). The exterior has been redesigned with a falcon wing-inspired DRL, a more coupe-like roofline and windows, and larger 20” wheels with red calipers. It is a pure EV and has up to 584 PS and 940 Nm of torque with a much larger 90 kWh LFP battery.

The third vehicle is the Seres 7: a larger 5-door, 7-seater with either a single motor or dual motor range extender system with a 40 kWh battery. The range is also expected to be around 1200 kilometers.

Seres Auto didn’t announce any pricing, as the event they held was still a brand launch. But what is important here is that Seres is not benchmarking against volume brands such as Toyota or Nissan. They are aiming for luxury brands such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes, and even Porsche.