TikTok Car Canceled: ByteDance Denies Creating Its Own Vehicle

The car from the creators of TikTok turned out to be a myth: ByteDance focuses on software, not on hardware.

In recent months, Chinese media and specialized resources have actively discussed the emergence of a potential "TikTok car." The rumors were fueled by news of close collaboration between the owner of the popular social network, ByteDance, and the automaker Seres Group. However, the tech giant decided to clarify the situation, officially denying plans to release its own vehicle or create a new automotive brand.

In its official statement, ByteDance outlined four key points to quell the excitement. First, the company does not plan to launch any cars or brands. Second, the Saidou brand (which was thought to be a joint venture) has no relation to ByteDance or its artificial intelligence division Doubao. Third, the IT giant does not own a stake in Saidou Technology. And most importantly: the company's efforts are focused solely on developing intelligent cabins and AI technologies for the industry through its divisions Volcano Engine and Doubao.

The rumors stemmed from a large-scale restructuring of Chongqing Landian Technology, a subsidiary of Seres Group. As a result of these changes, a new entity emerged - Saidou Technology. The project attracted substantial investments totaling 6.67 billion yuan - approximately $953,000,000. Among the investors was even Wending Investment, a strategic division of the battery giant CATL. Since the name Saidou sounds like a combination of Seres and Doubao AI, the market quickly drew its own conclusions, which turned out to be premature.

The Sad Fate of the Budget Brand Landian

The transformation of Landian into Saidou is not just a rebranding but an attempt by Seres to salvage a hopeless asset. The Landian brand was conceived as a budget player in the crossover segment, offering models E3 and hybrids E5. Prices were more than democratic: from $14,800 to $25,000. However, the low price did not save the brand from failure.

Sales statistics of the Landian brand in China. Photo: China EV Datatracker

According to CarNewsChina, in April 2026, the brand managed to sell only 472 units of vehicles in the domestic market of China. A market share of 0.1% eloquently indicated that Landian could not withstand competition and required radical rethinking. Now Saidou is preparing for its own launch on June 9, promising "AI-defined cars." Apparently, ByteDance's role in this process will be limited to supplying software and integrating smart assistants into multimedia systems.