On August 27th, videos circulated online showed that a new energy vehicle seemed to have a fire accident during the charging process, and the accident vehicle was suspected to be the AITO M5. The on-site video showed that the fire was fierce, with a large amount of thick smoke billowing out, and the vehicle was severely damaged. In response to the above accident, on the evening of August 27th, Seres Automobile released a statement. Seres Automobile said: “Around 12:30 on August 27, 2024, in a parking lot on Fenglin Avenue, Nankang District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, an AITO M5 that was being charged suddenly caught fire unexpectedly. At present, the official is aware of this incident and is actively cooperating with the owner and relevant departments for the investigation and handling of subsequent matters. It was confirmed on the spot that no one was injured, and the battery pack did not catch fire or burn.” At the same time, Yu Chengdong also released the background data of the AITO M5 that caught fire internally, including detailed vehicle and owner information. Seres Automobile stated that it will actively cooperate with relevant departments in the investigation. The specific investigation results will be subject to the investigation and determination results of relevant departments. At the same time, it will also provide necessary assistance to assist users in handling related matters and fully protect the rights and interests of users. As of the time of publication, the specific cause of the sudden fire of this vehicle is still unclear. The follow-up progress will be continuously followed by “Auto Industry Focus”. The AITO M5 is the first mass-produced model of AITO, which was launched in February 2022. A total of 3 models were launched, and the price range at that time was 249,800 – 319,800 yuan. In April this year, the new AITO M5 was officially launched. The new car launched a total of 3 models. The Extended-Range Max version (rear-wheel drive) is priced at 249,800 yuan, the Pure Electric Max version (rear-wheel drive) is priced at 269,800 yuan, and the Extended-Range Max RS version (four-wheel drive) is priced at 279,800 yuan. Compared with the old model, the top-of-the-line price of the new car’s extended-range version was reduced by 20,000 yuan. In terms of appearance, the overall changes of the new car are not particularly large, but there are obvious improvements in intelligence. In terms of power, it offers two power options of pure electric and extended-range. Among them, the extended-range version models have two power layouts of rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, and are all equipped with a 1.5T four-cylinder range extender. The rear-wheel drive model is equipped with a rear axle drive motor with a maximum power of 200 kilowatts; the maximum powers of the front and rear motors of the four-wheel drive model are 165 kilowatts and 200 kilowatts respectively. The battery capacity of the power battery is 42 kilowatt-hours. The rear-wheel drive version has a CLTC pure electric cruising range of 255 kilometers, and the four-wheel drive version has a CLTC pure electric cruising range of 230 kilometers. Retail data shows that from January to July this year, the sales volume of the AITO M7 was 122,200 units; the AITO M9 was 76,000 units; and the AITO M5 was 21,200 units. In other words, the performance of the AITO M5 in the auto market is relatively average. Among them, the sales in May-July were 5,583 units, 6,796 units, and 6,768 units respectively. For comparison, its competitor Li Auto L6 has accumulated sales of 64,100 units since its launch in April. Among them, the sales in May-July were 12,965 units, 23,864 units, and 24,856 units respectively.
The AITO M5 suddenly caught fire! Seres responded urgently!
