Chinese automaker Seres said on Friday that ‍its electric vehicle ‍brand Aito had signed a deal with Abu ​Dhabi-based dealer group Performance Plus Motors to enter the Middle East.

Aito, ⁠the first and most successful brand under Huawei's Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, ⁠has been ‌looking beyond China's hyper-competitive market. The UAE tie-up will provide its first export foothold.

Performance Plus Motors, a unit ⁠of Abu Dhabi Motors "will be responsible for the sales, delivery, and after-sales service of Aito's luxury intelligent models in the UAE," Seres said in a statement. No timeframe was ⁠disclosed.

The EV brand's flagship ​SUV, the Aito 9, has begun test drives in the UAE and Aito ‍vehicles have already arrived at Dubai port, the company added.

The collaboration is "an ​important milestone in Aito's globalization strategy", said Jason Wang, president of Seres' overseas business unit. The statement outlined plans for a broader Middle Eastern presence to support expansion into nearby regions.

Aito, previously sold only in China, presented its global lineup at the Munich car show in September.

Chongqing-based Seres began exporting vehicles under its namesake brand in 2023. As of November, 1,615 Seres-branded vehicles had been ⁠exported in total, according to the ‌China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Aito sales topped 420,000 vehicles in 2025, making it the main contributor to Seres, whose EV ‌sales ⁠rose 10.6% to 472,269 vehicles.

(Reporting by Zhang Yan, Qiaoyi Li and Brenda ⁠Goh. Editing by Toby Chopra and Mark Potter)