Seres Group Chairman (and founder) Zhang Xinghai delivered a speech at the opening plenary session of the 2026 China Auto Chongqing Forum.
He stated that intelligent electric vehicles represent a new expectation and a new type of automobile, which must follow objective development laws and iteratively advance safety technologies. Transitioning from traditional cars to new vehicles has significantly enhanced safety; electrification and intelligence are gradually expanding traditional physical safety into a multi-dimensional system safety encompassing electricity, software, networks, and AI. To excel in new vehicles, the foremost priority is to earnestly focus on safety technology innovation. Only by avoiding complacency and shortcuts can we better serve people and strengthen user confidence in the development of new energy vehicles. "It can be said that without safety, there is nothing else. Without safety, all efforts are reset to zero, and high-end, high-quality development becomes impossible," he remarked.
He revealed data showing that, in terms of electrification, AITO vehicles have accumulated a total driving distance of 32.2 billion kilometers to date, with electric-only driving accounting for 69.6% of that mileage. "Some people used to say extended-range technology is redundant, but now extended-range vehicles achieve 70% electric driving. The remaining 30% relies on fuel for power generation. The capability to use either fuel or electricity enables scenarios that address users' charging difficulties and range anxiety, especially during holidays and festivals like the Lunar New Year," he explained.
Regarding intelligence, the number of AITO vehicles equipped with assisted driving features has reached 950,000, with a cumulative assisted driving distance exceeding 7.8 billion kilometers. Daily new assisted driving mileage surpasses 20 million kilometers. Under assisted driving, safety is 8.29 times the industry average, with a cumulative prevention of 3.59 million potential collisions for users, leading to a continuously decreasing probability of incidents. "Many AITO car users are seeing their renewal insurance premiums consistently decrease, even lower than those for traditional joint-venture vehicles. This data is accumulated kilometer by kilometer. Users' attitude towards vehicles capable of using both fuel and electricity has shifted from fear of driving to willingness to drive and eagerness to drive," he said.
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