Chinese-American Seres 3 electric SUV is on the market

The Belgian importer OneAutomotive brings its first electric car on the market. It’s a compact SUV called Seres 3. With a basic price of €32 690, it will compete with cars like the MG ZS EV (already on the market) and others that will be there soon.

OneAutomotive is a recent venue on the Belgian car market and imports Chinese SUVs originating from big Chinese manufacturers like BAIC and DFSK. Seres is their third (electric) brand, and at the moment, they’ve already set up an organization of ten dealerships in Belgium, aiming at 25 by the end of 2022.

American roots

Although the parent company is Chinese, Seres is, in fact, an American company based in California. Headquarters are in Santa Clara, and Seres is a daughter of the Chinese Chongqing Sokon Industry Group.

Seres started in 2016 and produces EVs in China since 2017. That year, it also bought a car factory in the US, the Commercial Assembly Plant in Mishawaka, Indiana. The plant built cars for Hummer and Mercedes (R-Class) before.

Meanwhile, Seres has seven R&D centers based in the US, China, and Japan. They all research e-drive technology, batteries, car propulsion techniques, and light-weight design. The company’s slogan is ‘to make sustainable driving affordable for everyone’.

Tesla link

One of the founders of Seres is Martin Eberhard. He was one of the first CEOs of Tesla, from 2003 to 2008, way before the Musk era. After that, he founded inEVit, a start-up that produces electric drive units for several car manufacturers. Seres took over inEVit in 2017, and Eberhard stayed a couple of years at the head of R&D as a strategic manager.

Seres 3

The first Seres to reach Europe (first to be launched in Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium) is the Seres 3. It’s a compact SUV: 4,39 m in length, 1,85 m wide, and 1,65 m in height, on a 2,66 m wheelbase.

The electric motor drives the front wheels and is of the synchronous type with a permanent magnet. It develops 120 kW/163 hp of power and 300 Nm of maximum torque. Enough to propel the 1 765 kg heavy SUV up to a top speed of 155 kph and in 8,9 seconds to a speed of 100 kph.

The capacity of the lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack is 53,61 kWh. According to the WLTP test cycle, the Seres 3 will reach a range of 329 km (405 in NEDC). Charging can be done at speed up to 6,6 kW per hour at an AC charger. It takes half an hour to charge 80% at a DC outlet (CCS connection).

Two levels

In Belgium, the car will be available in two execution levels, Comfort and Luxury. The Comfort base trim includes an infotainment system, a navigation system, a digital instrument panel, parking aid, and light-alloy wheels.

Luxury adds a 360° around-view camera to this, a dash-cam, a collision warning system, a panoramic sunroof, and lane assist. Seres 3 has a general warranty on the whole car of five years (unlimited mileage) and a warranty of eight years or 120 000 km on the battery pack.

In Comfort trim, the car will be sold, as already mentioned, at an attractive €32 690, while the Luxury version will be offered at €36 390.