Aside from the Seres 9, Dongfeng Sokon Automobile (DFSK) also previewed the Seres 7 at the recent Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS). Just like its sibling, it ditches the Aito branding – a collaboration with telecommunications 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 5,020 mm long, 1,945 mm wide and 1,775 mm tall, it sits between the BMW X5 and X7 in size, although its 2,820 mm wheelbase is smaller than both. It’s no wonder, then, that the car can be had with up to six seats, the second row sitting in power-adjustable “zero gravity” captain’s chairs with retractable ottomans.
Like the Seres 9, the 7 is a range-extender electric vehicle, with the standard rear-wheel-drive model being powered by a single motor producing 272 PS (200 kW) and 360 Nm of torque. The all-wheel-drive version adds a front motor churning out 177 PS (130 kW), resulting in a total system output of 449 PS (330 kW) and 660 Nm. Zero to 100 km/h takes 7.8 seconds and 4.8 seconds respectively.
All Seres 7s are fitted with a 48 kWh battery that provides a WLTP range of 200 km on the RWD model and 175 km with AWD. If that’s not enough, you can engage the 152 PS 1.5 litre turbo four-cylinder engine to provide more juice to the motors and boost total range to between 1,050 km (AWD) and 1,150 km (RWD). Unlike the Seres 9, there’s no pure electric version of the Seres 7 available.
Seres/Aito has not provided a DC fast charging power figure for the 7, only that the car will charge the battery from 30 to 80% in half an hour; AC charging from 20 to 90%, on the other hand, will take five hours.
The Seres 7’s design is defined by the wraparound grille and headlight design, a large lower grille, clean side surfacing (aided by the flush pop-out door handles) and full-width taillights integrated into the tailgate (much like the Audi Q7). The car you see here rides on rather handsome 20-inch two-tone turbine-style alloy wheels, although a 21-inch option is also available.
Inside, the Seres 7 is just as minimalist as the exterior, featuring a horizontal dashboard, a full-width air vent design, a classy brown, tan and wood colour scheme and a wide centre console with Tesla-style twin Qi wireless chargers.
Dominating proceedings are a large 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Here, Huawei’s expertise comes to the fore – the Seres 7’s tech runs on that company’s HarmonyOS operating system, delivering a smartphone-like user experience. Here, however, Huawei’s branding has been completely wiped out, presumably due to ongoing sanctions against the company outside China.
Safety-wise, the Seres 7 comes with eight airbags and numerous driver assists that include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist, lane change assist, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert and automatic high beam.
A recent facelift in China has given the Aito 7 a slimmer lower grille and an upgraded sensor package that includes a roof-mounted lidar sensor. This adds the Navigation Control Assistant (NCA), providing highly-automated driving on city and highway roads, along with a driverless valet parking feature.
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