Fourth AITO model, expected to be called M8, appears to debut new HIMA face in patent images
Patent images, submitted by the makers of the AITO and Seres brand vehicles, have surfaced online appearing to show the new look of future HIMA products.
The image above, which was produced by a Chinese channel based on the patent images, shows a large three-row SUV that’s expected to sit between the AITO M7 and AITO M9 models when it’s revealed, possibly as early as the upcoming Guangzhou Auto Show.
AITO models don’t particularly have a standard design language but the fascia of the M9 flagship model features heavily in both the Luxeed and Stellato models, however in this case the suggested M8 model looks set to debut a more upright headlamp design language, one spotted on prototypes of the upcoming Maextro brand.
The proposed design also comes with two variations, including one with vertical headlamps connected by a horizontal lightbar at the top, and one where the top and bottom of the headlamps are connected, creating a look reminiscent of the the new electric Ford Explorer. This could be just alternative designs, or perhaps a subtle differentiator between EREV and BEV variants.
AITO models have succeeded on the back of their luxurious interiors packed with Huawei technology, selling almost 290,000 units in the first nine months of the year and putting the M7 in eighth place on the global top-selling electrified vehicles list, but their exteriors tend to be more conservative, and the patent images suggest this isn’t about to change.
The rear in particular looks quite nondescript with a simple lightbar design not a million miles from that seen on the XPeng G9 and Exeed ET, and surface treatment along the side that isn’t especially adventurous.
As you might expect, the patent drawing shows a lidar unit fitted atop the windscreen, suggesting it will remain a staple of the Huawei ADAS system for the time being, and of course the standard full-length panoramic window.
AITOs are produced by Chongqing-based Seres, also a brand in its own right set to launch in the UK in 2025, and the new owners of the trademark and patents after purchasing them from Huawei in a deal worth a reported 2.5 billion yuan. Huawei remains very much part of the deal, however, supplying much of the major electronic components and selling the AITO brand vehicles through their Huawei consumer stores.
