Seres (formerly called SF Motors, Chongqing Jinkang New Energy Automobile) is an electric vehicle and component manufacturer headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The company, which is a subsidiary of Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, has established several R&D facilities and is in the process of designing and producing a U.S.-based, electric vehicle line. The company has delayed launching a US product and laid off hundreds of workers, including 90 people at its design studio.[1][2] The company is partnering with a number of automotive and tech suppliers.[3]

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Manufacturing/R&D facilities

Seres was founded as SF Motors in Santa Clara, California in January 2016 as a company focused on producing electric vehicles. In early 2017, SF Motors’ parent company, Sokon Industry Group, was granted production permits from the Chinese government to produce electric vehicles.[4]

The company has established^[when?] seven R&D facilities in four countries, including the U.S., China and Germany, with Japan coming online soon. Along with establishing an R&D center in the Ann Arbor area in Michigan; Seres is also partnering with the University of Michigan’s Mcity innovation center, which is dedicated to leading the transformation to connected and automated vehicles.[5] SF Motors hosted its first University of Michigan-Sokon Autonomous Driving Seminar in August 2017. All of Seres’ R&D facilities will focus on intelligent e-powertrain technology, vehicle engineering, intelligent driving systems, next-generation battery technology and lightweight designs.

In 2017, SF Motors completed the acquisition of the AM General Commercial Assembly Plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, making it the only electric vehicle company at the time to have manufacturing facilities in both the U.S. and China.[6] It will be the first manufacturing plant in the U.S. that is wholly owned by SF Motors. The acquisition includes retaining about 430 employees at the facility who previously helped build vehicles for both Mercedes-Benz and Hummer.[7]

Headquarters

In order to secure a space for its leaders, teams and prospective employees, the company recruited design firm AAI to build out its Santa Clara, California headquarters, which opened in March 2017. The four-story building can accommodate more than 200 people.

The building has a garage with EV charging stations.

Timeline

• January 28, 2016 — SF Motors was founded in Silicon Valley, California
• September 2016 — Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard joined SF Motors as Strategic Advisor
• January 2017 — Parent company of SF Motors (Sokon Industry Group) granted production permit from Chinese Government to produce electric vehicles
• March 2017 — SF Motors opens headquarters in Silicon Valley
• April 2017 — Parent company of SF Motors, Sokon Motors, and University of Michigan announce plans to establish Michigan-Sokon Research Center
• June 2017 — SF Motors announces plans to acquire commercial automotive assembly plant in Mishawaka, Indiana from AM General where Hummer H2 SUVs were formerly built.[8]
• July 2017 — SF Motors hosts first Global Partnership Meeting at its headquarters in Silicon Valley
• July 2017 — SF Motors establishes intelligent driving research center in Beijing
• August 2017 — SF Motors hosts first University of Michigan-Sokon Autonomous Driving Seminar
• September 2017 — SF Motors’ parent company granted permission by Chinese Government to issue convertible bond worth up to 1.5 Billion RMB for SF Motors
• October 2017 — SF Motors announced the acquisition of InEVit Inc., an electric vehicle battery modularization startup headed by Martin Eberhard, industry leader and co-founder of Tesla, who joined the company as Chief Scientist and Vice Chairman of SF Motors’ Board.[9]
• March 2018 — SF Motors unveils its cars, two all-electric sport utility vehicles, the compact SF5 and the mid-size SF7.[10]
• July 2019 — Plans to assemble the company’s first vehicle, an SUV called the SF5, have been halted for the U.S. market. Plans to assemble and sell SF5 in China continue unchanged. Layoffs have been announced at the company’s California headquarters.[11]
• That same month, Autocar reported that the company was in search of British partners to manufacture electric vehicles for SF Motors. SF Motors will serve as a supplier and would provide electric motors, and battery packs to any potential partners.[12]
• In April 2021, Seres launched an updated SF5, starting a partnership with Huawei, which partook in the development of the vehicle, and sells the cars through Huawei stores.[13][14] According to sources cited by Reuters, Huawei was looking to take over Seres from its parent company Chongqing Sokon, but Huawei denied having plans for such an acquisition.[15]

Leadership

• John Zhang — CEO
• Yifan Tang — CTO

Products

Seres

• 3/ix3, a rebadged Dongfeng Fengon E3[16][17]
• SF5
• SF7

• 
  Seres SF5

Aito

• Aito M5
• Aito M7

• 
  Aito M5
• 
  Aito M7

See also

• Faraday Future

References

External links

• Official website: http://www.sfmotors.com