BEIJING – China’s Supreme People’s Court issued a landmark ruling Friday clarifying legal responsibility for accidents involving vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems, affirming that human drivers remain liable even when utilizing “hands-off” features. The decision establishes a unified legal standard for courts nationwide as automakers increasingly deploy sophisticated technologies promising greater autonomy.
The guiding case, released as the automotive industry gathers at events like the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition, directly addresses a growing regulatory concern over the misuse and potentially misleading marketing of advanced driver-assistance systems. The court’s ruling explicitly states that until full vehicle autonomy is achieved, drivers retain primary legal responsibility.
The decision comes amid a surge in the development and deployment of advanced technologies by both domestic and international automakers in the Chinese market. SERES, a new energy vehicle brand of Seres Group, showcased its latest innovations, including the AITO full model lineup and the SERES MF Platform 2.0, at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition in November 2025, according to a press release. AITO reported cumulative deliveries exceeding 900,000 units, with the AITO M9 and M8 models leading sales in their respective price segments.
The SERES MF Platform 2.0, unveiled at the auto show, is described as an AI-driven platform for smart electric vehicles, focusing on intelligent safety and incorporating upgrades to Smart Energy, Intelligent Chassis, EEA Architecture, and Intelligent Space. The company also debuted a 2.0T range extender and a 14-in-1 ultra-integrated range extension system.
The court’s ruling is intended to provide clarity in a rapidly evolving legal landscape. The AITO brand, launched in December 2021, has amassed a user base of 900,000, with its intelligent range-extended electric vehicles accumulating over 21.4 billion kilometers of driving, 70% of which was in pure electric mode. Assisted driving mileage across the AITO fleet has surpassed 4.45 billion kilometers.
The ruling’s timing coincides with increased scrutiny of automakers’ claims regarding autonomous capabilities. The court’s statement does not detail specific penalties for drivers found liable in accidents involving assisted driving systems, but it reinforces the principle that these systems are intended to *assist* drivers, not replace them.
SERES, initially established in 2016, entered into a deep cooperation with Huawei in April 2019, launching the Seres Huawei Selection SF5 model. The company’s evolution reflects the broader trend of collaboration between technology and automotive firms in the development of new energy vehicles.
