CATL (HKEX: 3750) has signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Seres (HKEX: 9927) to expand battery production capacity for the automaker's Aito brand and extend their partnership into charging services and overseas markets.

The companies signed the agreement on Saturday in Chongqing, where Seres is headquartered. Aito will continue using CATL batteries across its lineup over the long term, reinforcing their existing supply relationship.

Aito has used CATL batteries in all its models since the brand's inception, and cumulative deliveries have surpassed 1.2 million vehicles, the Chinese battery giant said in a statement.

Capacity expansion is a key part of the agreement. The companies will accelerate construction of the second phase of their "plant-in-plant" project at the Seres plant, with planned annual capacity of 10 to 12 GWh.

Once the second phase is completed, combined annual capacity across both phases will exceed 20 GWh. CATL said the companies aim to improve supply chain resilience and competitiveness by concentrating production at the site.

The expansion builds on their model of producing batteries within an auto assembly plant, integrating battery system production with Aito vehicle manufacturing at the same site.

On June 30, 2025, CATL began operating 2 CTP (cell-to-pack) 2.0 battery pack production lines at the Seres plant, providing a local supply of battery systems for Aito vehicles.

The project marked CATL's first production base in Chongqing and its first use of the "plant-in-plant" model. The latest agreement will expand that manufacturing footprint.

Beyond capacity expansion, the companies will collaborate on supercharging networks and battery services to build a service system covering the full battery lifecycle.

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