Seres is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, in Silicon Valley. The company creates electric vehicles and components. The company, which is a subsidiary of Chongqing Sokon Industry Group, has established several R&D facilities and is in the process of designing and producing a U.S.-based, electric vehicle line. The company has delayed launching a US product and laid off hundreds of workers, including 90 people at its design studio. The company is partnering with a number of automotive and tech suppliers.
Manufacturing/R&D facilities
Seres was founded as SF Motors in Silicon Valley in January 2016 as a company focused on delivering electric vehicles. In early 2017, SF Motors’ parent company, Sokon Industry Group, was granted production permits from the Chinese government to produce electric vehicles. The company has established seven R&D facilities in four countries, including the U.S., China and Germany, with Japan coming online soon. Along with establishing an R&D center in the Ann Arbor area in Michigan; Seres is also partnering with the University of Michigan’s Mcity innovation center, which is dedicated to leading the transformation to connected and automated vehicles. SF Motors hosted its first University of Michigan-Sokon Autonomous Driving Seminar in August 2017. All of Seres’ R&D facilities will focus on intelligent e-powertrain technology, vehicle engineering, intelligent driving systems, next-generation battery technology and lightweight designs. In 2017, SF Motors completed the acquisition of the AM General Commercial Assembly Plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, making it the only electric vehicle company at the time to have manufacturing facilities in both the U.S. and China. It will be the first manufacturing plant in the U.S. that is wholly owned by SF Motors. The acquisition includes retaining about 430 employees at the facility who previously helped build vehicles for both Mercedes-Benz and Hummer.
Headquarters
In order to secure a space for its leaders, teams and prospective employees, the company recruited design firm AAI to build out its Santa Clara, California headquarters, which opened in March 2017. The four-story building offers approximately 80,000 square feet, and can accommodate more than 200 people. The building has a garage with EV charging stations.
January 2017 — Parent company of SF Motors granted production permit from Chinese Government to produce electric vehicles
March 2017 — SF Motors opens headquarters in Silicon Valley
April 2017 — Parent company of SF Motors, Sokon Motors, and University of Michigan announce plans to establish Michigan-Sokon Research Center
June 2017 — SF Motors announces plans to acquire commercial automotive assembly plant in Mishawaka, Indiana from AM General where Hummer H2 SUVs were formerly built.
July 2017 — SF Motors hosts first Global Partnership Meeting at its headquarters in Silicon Valley
July 2017 — SF Motors establishes intelligent driving research center in Beijing
August 2017 — SF Motors hosts first University of Michigan-Sokon Autonomous Driving Seminar
September 2017 — SF Motors’ parent company granted permission by Chinese Government to issue convertible bond worth up to 1.5 Billion RMB for SF Motors
October 2017 — SF Motors announced the acquisition of InEVit Inc., an electric vehicle battery modularization startup headed by Martin Eberhard, industry leader and co-founder of Tesla, who joined the company as Chief Scientist and Vice Chairman of SF Motors’ Board.
March 2018 — SF Motors unveils its cars, two all-electric sport utility vehicles, the compact SF5 and the mid-size SF7.
July 2019 — Plans to assemble the company’s first vehicle, an SUV called the SF5, have been halted for the U.S. market. Plans to assemble and sell SF5 in China continue unchanged. Layoffs have been announced at the company’s California headquarters.
