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IM Motors
Chinese electric vehicle joint venture From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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IM Motors (Chinese: 智己汽车, Zhiji Motors) is an electric vehicle joint venture between Chinese automobile manufacturer SAIC Motor and Chinese technology companies Alibaba Group and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech.
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Naming
The company's English name IM stands for "Intelligence in Motion". Its Chinese name is Zhiji Motors (智己汽车).[2]
History
Summarize
Perspective
The IM Motors joint venture between SAIC Motor, Alibaba Group, and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech was established in December 2020, and a 3D rendering of the company's upcoming sedan, aiming to compete with the Tesla Model S, was presented later in January 2021.[1][2]
In April 2021 at the Auto Shanghai auto show, IM Motors presented three vehicles; the L7 electric executive car prototype,[3] along with two concepts, the LS7 mid-size SUV and the Airo designed by English designer Thomas Heatherwick.[4][5]
In December 2022, IM Motors officially launched its second production model, the IM LS7, planning to start its sales in the second half of 2023 in the Chinese market only.[6] Meanwhile, the 18% stake held by the administrative authorities of Shanghai's Pudong New District was sold to the private company Zhangjiang Hi-Tech.[citation needed]
In August 2023, the company introduced its third model in the form of the LS6, a smaller "coupe SUV" positioned below the flagship LS7.[7]
In July 2023, Audi announced that it was establishing a strategic cooperation with the Chinese company SAIC Motor in order to borrow its platform used to build large electric cars. Audi expressed its desire to use this technology to build its own electric model specifically for the Chinese market in order to increase its competitiveness against startup companies such as Nio.[8]
In February 2024, IM Motors participated in the Geneva Motor Show and launched its fourth model, the IM L6 sedan. On April 8, 2024, IM L6 was officially launched and pre-sales started.[9] Deliveries of the car started on May 13[10] The flagship version of the car (Max Lightyear Edition) uses a quasi-900V high performance electrical architecture and ultra-fast charging semi-solid-state electrolyte batteries, with a claimed range of over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi).[11]
On March 1, 2024, IM Motors announced that it had received over RMB 8 billion in Series B equity financing, led by Bank of China Asset Management, a subsidiary of Bank of China, with participation from ABC Investment, Lingang Group, CATL, Momenta, Qingtao Energy and other companies.[12]
Future plans
According to IM Motors' overseas market layout plan, the IM L7 and LS7 will enter the Mexican, Middle Eastern, South American and Southeast Asian markets for sales in 2024; in 2025, LS6 and L6 will enter overseas markets for sales. In many markets, IM Motors' overseas sales network will be independent channels run by selected dealer groups from MG's existing network, while other in other markets like Europe, IM brand vehicles will be sold alongside MG at the same locations.[13]
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Models
Current models
- IM L7 (2022–present), full-size sedan, BEV
- IM L6 (2024–present), mid-size sedan, BEV
- IM LS7 (2023–present), mid-size SUV , BEV
- IM LS6 (2023–present), mid-size SUV , BEV/EREV
- IM LS9 (to commence), full-size SUV, EREV
Concept vehicles
IM Motors has revealed the following concept cars:
- Airo (Auto Shanghai 2021), a 4-door concept car designed by Heatherwick Studio.
- LS7 (Auto Shanghai 2021), a mid-size SUV concept previewing the production LS7
IM Airo Concept
IM LS7 Concept
Sales
See also
References
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