China crash involving Huawei-backed Aito electric vehicle kills three

BEIJING (Reuters) -Three people, including a two-year-old boy, died after a Huawei-backed Aito M7 SUV burst into flames following a collision with a truck on a highway in the Chinese city of Yuncheng in the northern province of Shanxi, state media said.

Aito Automobile, a new energy vehicle brand launched in 2022, is investigating the accident along with traffic police, the company said on its WeChat and Weibo social media accounts on Sunday.

Aito said data from the vehicle showed it was operating at a speed of 115 kph (71 mph) at the time of Friday's accident, adding that the airbag opened normally and readings from the battery pack were normal.

The company said it was co-operating with traffic police to provide all necessary data to reconstruct the cause of the accident, and support the families involved.

Video on social media showed bystanders trying to break the window and door of the SUV as it was lodged under the truck with the front of the vehicle engulfed in flames.

The Aito M7, made by Seres Group in partnership with Huawei, with Huawei providing technology for the vehicle and help with marketing.

Huawei has said several times it is a components provider rather than a manufacturer of cars.

(Reporting by Bernard Orr and Shanghai newsroom, additional reporting by David Kirton in Shenzhen; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Clarence Fernandez)