Losing money for five consecutive years, three consecutive sales losses, losing 44,000 for every car sold — IM Motors didn't replace the CEO, only changed the marketing head.

August 18, 2026, all-new IM L6 pre-sale launch event. Standing on stage was a strange face — Xu Yin, title is IM Motors Vice President. Previously for years standing in the spotlight, co-CEO Liu Tao did not appear throughout the process.

The launch event itself was lively, but people downstairs cared more about another matter: What exactly is being adjusted in this round of IM Motors personnel adjustments?

Looking closely, there are three question marks that cannot be avoided.

Question One: Why is Jiang Jun still here?

First, look at a basic fact: Jiang Jun is still here, and his position is very stable.

Jiang Jun, born March 1970, currently Vice President of SAIC Motor Group and CEO of IM Motors. Promoted to Vice President of SAIC Motor Group in December 2023. At the SAIC Motor Group First 100 Millionth Car Delivery Ceremony in May 2026, standing beside Chairman Wang Xiaoqiu and President Jia Jianxu was still him. In the IM Motors 5th Anniversary internal letter in December 2025, jointly signed by him and Liu Tao.

Jiang Jun's resume is excellent: Originally from SAIC General Motors After-sales Service Director, climbed to Deputy General Manager of SAIC Passenger Vehicles and Executive Director of Marketing Department, then to IM Motors CEO. SAIC Motor Group's "own person", well-rooted.

But the question is: What has IM Motors achieved?

In 2025, IM Motors annual sales were 81,000 vehicles, missing the target for the third consecutive year. 2023 target 45,000, actual 38,300; 2024 target 120,000-130,000, actual 65,500; 2025 target 100,000, completion rate only 81%. 2025 full year net loss 3.598 billion yuan, equivalent to losing 44,000 yuan for every car sold. Asset-liability ratio as high as 90.8%. 2026 first half target completion rate only 30.8%-36.4%. June sales 6,197 units, about 6% of Leapmotor, 12% of Huawei Harmony Intelligence. Dealer loss area continued to expand, dealer "explosions" appeared in multiple places such as Kunming, Zhuhai, Shanghai.

Five years, SAIC's "No. 1 Project" just hands over this report card.

As CEO, who decided the strategic direction? Who controlled the product rhythm? Who approved the sales target? If these are not his responsibility, then what exactly is the CEO's responsibility?

A CEO who couldn't hand in a qualified report card for five consecutive years was not only not held accountable, but promoted to Group Vice President. Is this a problem of ability, or a problem of the system?

Question Two: Liu Tao Is Disempowered — Is it a "Soft Transition" or "Passing the Buck"?

Look at Liu Tao again.

Liu Tao is IM Motors' "face", but also IM Motors' "trouble". In April 2024 IM L6 launch event, he repeatedly "pulled a stunt" with Xiaomi Auto, and also mislabeled competitor data in parameter comparisons, being fiercely countered by Xiaomi in three Weibo posts, finally IM Motors apologized overnight. In September of the same year new LS6 launch event, he personally drove to perform drifting, result hit stage cones twice. In February 2026, he formally apologized for inappropriate remarks about Tesla Chaozhou accident made three years ago. Plus test drive violation driving, vehicle screen black screen apology — Liu Tao's "history of apologies" could almost be written into a book.

In April 2025, Liu Tao set two Flags: annual sales 100,000 vehicles, profitability achieved in December by full cost accounting. Former fell through, latter achieved — but monthly profitability ≠ long-term profitability. Under the industry consensus that breakeven can only be achieved when monthly sales stabilize at 30,000-40,000 vehicles, IM Motors still has distance from the safety line.

In August 2026, Xu Yin took over domestic marketing as Vice President, Liu Tao "business focus shifted overseas".

The question is: A co-CEO, had the most core domestic business "divided" away by a lower-level Vice President — what is this if not reducing power?

Verified with IM Motors PR, co-CEO is indeed one level higher than Vice President. Then why does a higher-level executive yield the main battlefield to a lower-level person? Title unchanged, power gone. This "soft transition" rhetoric is familiar in any enterprise.

But this brings up a bigger question: Is Liu Tao's problem just Liu Tao's individual problem?

Liu Tao's marketing style — stunts, bashing, drifting crashes — not formed in one day. Who approved these strategies? Who approved these launch events? If Liu Tao alone can decide IM Motors' marketing direction, then what is CEO Jiang Jun doing? If Jiang Jun approved these plans, does Jiang Jun need to take the blame for Liu Tao's "crash" together?

Moving Liu Tao away, bringing Xu Yin up, can this solve IM Motors' fundamental problem?

Question Three: Xu Yin — A Variable, Why Trust Him?

Finally look at Xu Yin.

Xu Yin is an SAIC "veteran", worked in the group for nearly 20 years. In 2015 served as Roewe Brand Regional Marketing Senior Manager, in 2018 responsible for SAIC Passenger Vehicles National New Energy Sales. Around 2020 sent to Thailand, served as MG Sales (Thailand) General Manager, SAIC Chengda Co., Ltd. Vice President. In June 2026 transferred back from Thailand to domestic, served as IM Motors Vice President.

Resume not bad, but good resume doesn't equal ability to fight this battle well.

Xu Yin admitted himself: "Thailand market itself is also very competitive, but after coming back found domestic even more competitive, rhythm also faster." After returning home held meetings with dealers, got two sets of data: First half domestic 527 new cars launched; January to July whole market decreased 20%.

What is his tactic? No longer "compete on parameters, compete on range, compete on 0-100", but provide "emotional value". Co-branded with Prof. Jimmy Choo, tag "Not For Everyone". All models standard equipped wire-controlled chassis, using hard technology to support bottom, using soft value to break circle.

Sounds beautiful, but how many cars can be sold?

Xu Yin himself didn't give a clear answer. He said: "If they are satisfied, we have such great potential, and have such cheap prices, I believe sales will flow naturally."

"Flowing naturally" — these four characters are the most expensive four characters in the automotive industry. In a market where over 500 new cars are launched in half a year, in a brand missing targets for five consecutive years, "flowing naturally" is more like a self-soothing phrase.

Besides, Xu Yin has only been in office for two months. A car's launch cycle cannot be only one or two months, when he intervened in L6 project "work had already progressed to middle-late stage". This L6's success or failure, largely not Xu Yin's credit or fault — he took over a report card drawn by others.

What truly tests Xu Yin is the next car, next complete marketing cycle. But that is at least a year later matter.

Can IM Motors afford to wait?

The Same Question Behind the Three Questions

Jiang Jun stays put — five years, report card looks bad, but position is getting more stable.

Liu Tao is "softly transitioned" — decently marginalizing the "founding member", but how many fundamental problems solved?

Xu Yin is a variable — resume beautiful, tactic novel, but in China's most ruthless automotive market, everything yet unverified.

These three question marks point to the same core question: Does IM Motors' management accountability mechanism really exist?

CEO doesn't need to be responsible for failing targets for five consecutive years, co-CEO transferred away due to marketing crash but title remains unchanged, a new Vice President is expected highly but hasn't even walked through a complete cycle — this is not a problem solvable by one personnel adjustment, this is a problem of the entire governance structure.

Can Xu Yin fight this battle well? Don't know. But what can be determined is: If Jiang Jun continues to "sit steady in the command tent", if accountability only falls on the execution layer without touching the decision layer, if "soft transition" becomes the norm — then whoever is replaced, the result might be the same.

SAIC's first 100 millionth car is IM LS9 Hyper. This is glory, also pressure. But glory cannot serve as food, sales and profit are the hard truth.

Can Xu Yin's "emotional value" exchange for sales? Liu Tao's "overseas market" is real territory expansion or real exile? Jiang Jun's "stability" is truly a stabilizing needle or immovable as a mountain?

Answers are not at the launch event, but in the market. And the market, never waits for anyone.

Author: Guan Hongye

Over more than ten years, China's new energy vehicles have completed a magnificent leapfrogging maneuver. Penetration rates approach 48%, and annual production and sales leap to the tens of millions scale, redefining the coordinate axis of the global automotive industry.

However, after scale reaches the summit, the track begins to change tempo.

At the end of summer in the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan", the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology used unusual wording—"irrational competition remains prominent", "must strengthen efforts to resolve". Regulatory authorities issued a stern statement; this is not advice, it is a warning.

Industry profits continue to compress, and the overall market is volatile. China's new energy vehicles are bidding farewell to unbridled growth and welcoming a great era of value reconstruction. In this variation, IM Motors' "Second Startup" happens to step on the era's beat.

In August 2026, IM Motors held an employee cadre conference, setting the tone for a "Second Startup" and unifying the strategic rhythm. At the Chengdu Auto Show, the trump card was revealed: the "NEXT·2028" strategy: three pure electric models landing soon, and a direct remark from management, "The market is competitive, but SAIC IM holds the best cards."

One

Founded in December 2020, IM's first five years were a typical training history of a state-owned new brand. Early products were more about verifying technical capabilities, refining user cognition amidst market fluctuations.

Last year, IM made a key move: launching the Star Super Extended Range system, opening a differentiated track with large battery extended range. This technical solution balancing pure electric experience with worry-free long-distance travel quickly received market feedback, with annual sales of over 80,000 units, firmly ranking in the first tier of the extended range market, earning the industry evaluation of "New King of Extended Range". LS6, LS8, and LS9 extended range versions established a foothold in their respective niche tracks. The market completed the first major exam of IM's product definition and manufacturing capabilities with orders.

The breakthrough in the extended range track opened a valuable window for IM, but management saw clearly that the underlying structure of the market was changing. External environment signals, combined with internal technical accumulation, pushed IM to refocus its weight back to the pure electric main battlefield.

At the internal cadre conference, "Second Startup" became a consensus among all employees: goodbye to small steps and trial-and-error, entering a proactive offensive cycle. Channels, user cognition, and supply chain experience accumulated from past extended range businesses were all converted into ammunition for the pure electric counterattack. The NEXT·2028 strategy is the general plan for this offensive.

From August to October 2026, IM will launch three pure electric models in succession: the new generation LS6, L6, and LS8 pure electric version. These three cars all come standard with three core assets: NEO Three-Electric Architecture, Full By-Wire Chassis, and IM Claw Intelligent Agent.

This is not a simple new product launch, but a concentrated release of technical reserves.

What is a by-wire chassis? For ordinary users, it might be a strange technical term. But for the industry, it is the watershed from "people driving cars" to "cars driving themselves". According to information previously revealed by IM, the reliability of by-wire steering has reached aviation-grade 10FIT standards (failure rate below 10 times in 1 billion hours), response speed is only 20 milliseconds, over 10 times faster than human instinctive reaction. More importantly, SAIC is one of the leaders in formulating the national standard for by-wire steering.

The four words "Come standard on all series", usually in the automotive industry means putting high-spec configurations down, but in IM's context, it feels more like using the foundation of the "State Team" to conduct a technology equity on the market.

Two

"The market is competitive, but SAIC IM holds the best cards." Xu Yin's sentence, Deputy General Manager of IM Motors, came out in the interview room, low in volume but heavy in weight. This sentence was not improvised; it was the trump card of a brand backed by a trillion-yuan automotive group, revealed in a sluggish industry moment.

This card is SAIC's 70 years of automotive engineering system accumulation. From manufacturing precision at the Lingang digital factory to bargaining power of top global supply chains, to dealer networks covering the country—these seemingly cumbersome heavy assets, when the industry shifts from "light equipment" to "system victory", become a defensive moat. When new forces are flustered by capacity climbing, IM's upstream manufacturing is already producing according to schedule; when the market is uneasy about supply chain breakage, SAIC's global procurement network has long completed multi-source backups.

This card is technical authority in defining rules. In July 2026, the national standard for by-wire steering formulated under SAIC's leadership was officially implemented. From industry follower to standard setter, this is a declaration of industrial status. By-wire chassis for intelligent cars is like chassis for fuel cars—whoever holds the definition rights to the underlying architecture occupies the high ground in the next generation competition.

The significance of this card may not be obvious when the industry is on the upswing, but in a market downturn and financing contraction cycle, it is a real safety cushion. So, when Xu Yin spoke of "holding the best cards", what he meant was not confidence, but fact.

Three

On the launch event site, one detail was worth savoring: Xu Yin made his first public appearance in the capacity of IM Motors Deputy General Manager.

Before this, he had operated the MG Brand in the Thailand market for six years. In Thailand where Japanese cars dominated, he led the team to push MG ownership to 220,000 vehicles, and made IM land smoothly as the first stop for going global.

He did not avoid the cruelty of the market. In the first half of the year, 527 new car models were launched in China, and the overall market dropped by 20% from January to July. But he also saw growth signals—the pure electric market is rising, which is exactly IM's focus direction for the second half of the year.

"In a market used to 'taking it slow', run the 'fast, fast, fast' of Chinese brands." This is the experience Xu Yin summarized in Thailand. Now back in China, the rhythm is faster, but he is not anxious. He said: "What I focus on more is whether consumers are satisfied with the details. If these can all be done, sales will naturally follow."

Pragmatic, but not cowardly in war.

Four

Returning to China only in June, Xu Yin made a remark from an outsider: "Do not just talk about parameters, think more about what emotional value can be provided to users."

The cooperation between the new generation L6 and high-end master Prof. Jimmy Choo allowed outsiders to see IM's side of "emotion".

It is no longer just emphasizing 2.74-second acceleration or 800-volt fast charging, but starting to tell the design narrative of "Crystal Logo", "Bespoke Blue", and "Not For Everyone".

In a highly homogeneous new energy market, this is almost an "anti-involution" attempt. While everyone is competing on the number of fridges, TVs, and large sofas, IM attempts to draw a dividing line using aesthetics and emotional value.

From establishing on technology to empathizing with temperature, IM's communication is elevating levels.

Five

Today, Chinese automobiles stand on a grand historical node. On one hand, Chinese manufacturing goes global, and new energy becomes a national card; on the other hand, homogenization involution and irrational competition become barriers that must be crossed. MIIT emphasized to "brake the car", meaning the industry must shift from "comparing who runs faster" to "comparing who can brake and go further".

2026 is the watershed. At such a node, IM's "Second Startup" chooses a difficult but clear path: put the technology of the next two to three years into current products in advance, using "technology inclusivity" to counter low-level involution.

August: new generation L6 pre-sale; September: new LS6 launch; October: LS8 pure electric version appearance—three pure electric models launching in succession. Large-scale industrial competition, short-term looks at marketing momentum, long-term returns to products and systems. The NEXT·2028 strategy opens the curtain; IM wants to redefine its own beat amidst variation.

Chilly July, when industry negative growth, especially Chinese passenger cars domestic wholesale retail July and January-July both plummeted by over 20%, its independent passenger car sales still rose against the trend for seven consecutive months, and accounted for over 70%;

In May, it was the industry's first Chinese automaker with historical sales exceeding 100 million vehicles;

In July, it was the only automaker in China's automotive industry with over 2 million vehicles in half a year.

Some say it is the all-subject champion of the Chinese auto market!

It, who is it?

It, how was it forged?

(I) Black July, a Touch of Gold

July 2026, the Chinese auto market encountered a rare "Summer Cold Snap".

Data from the China Passenger Car Association shows that retail sales of passenger cars nationwide in July reached 1.461 million vehicles, down 20.9% year-on-year, down 8.8% month-on-month; retail sales cumulative to date were 10.173 million vehicles, down 20.3% year-on-year;

July fuel vehicle retail sales down 41% year-on-year, among which pure fuel vehicles down 44%, regular hybrid down 4%. Among fuel vehicles, independent down 46%, mainstream joint venture down 40%, luxury down 28%, all undifferentiatedly hit hard by high oil prices.

July new energy vehicle retail sales down 3.9% year-on-year, among which independent down 4%, mainstream joint venture up 36%, luxury down 23%, independent economy EV domestic retail was significantly affected by subsidy plummet.

July independent brand retail 1.04 million vehicles, down 14% year-on-year, down 6% month-on-month. The month's independent brand domestic retail share was 71%, up 5.4 percentage points year-on-year.

Data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers seems like Typhoon White Dolphin No. 13 in 2026, making people feel chilling:

July domestic passenger car sales 1.345 million vehicles, down 10.1% month-on-month, down 24.7% year-on-year, while fuel vehicle sales 429,000 vehicles, down 383,000 year-on-year, down 12.5% month-on-month, down 47.2% year-on-year.

January-July, domestic passenger car sales 9.633 million vehicles, down 24.4% year-on-year, among which fuel vehicles 4.123 million vehicles, down 2.116 million year-on-year, down 33.9% year-on-year.

January-July, domestic sales 11.462 million vehicles, down 21.4% year-on-year. Among them, traditional fuel car domestic sales were 5.364 million vehicles, down 30.1% year-on-year.

January-July new energy vehicle exports 2.909 million vehicles, up 1.2 times year-on-year. Traditional fuel car exports 3.231 million vehicles, up 36.2% year-on-year.

Off-season plus structural adjustment, the whole industry is permeated with a breath of contraction and survival.

Most brand target completion rates are less than 40%, inventory is high, price war intensifies.

Just in the cold of Black July, SAIC Motor Group handed in a rising scorecard!

July total vehicle sales 339,000 vehicles, January-July cumulative sales 2.384 million vehicles, continuing to rank first among Chinese automotive enterprises.

More interesting is the change of structure.

Independent brand July sales 257,000 vehicles, up 19.9% year-on-year, achieving seven consecutive months of year-on-year growth this year, more importantly, July independent brand share was as high as 75.8%, and January-July independent cumulative sales 1.725 million vehicles, up 13.6% year-on-year, independent sales share reached 72.4%, up 0.7 percentage points month-on-month compared to the first half of the year.

Looking at its new energy vehicles, July sales 177,000 vehicles, up 50.7% year-on-year, month's penetration rate 52.2%, reaching the high level of Chinese new energy vehicle July sales penetration rate breaking 50% for the first time.

Finally look at overseas markets, July sales 142,000 vehicles, up 72.5% year-on-year, overseas share as high as 42.9%, and January-July overseas exports 876,000 vehicles, up 52.1% year-on-year, overseas share 36.7%.

When the whole industry declined, especially passenger car retail wholesale declined by 20%, SAIC's three major growth engines, all ran double-digit or even doubled growth rates, this is not simply a quantity progress, but a breakthrough in quality.

Looking at January-July, SAIC cumulative sales 2.384 million vehicles, with an advantage of about 156,000 vehicles to crush the runner-up, firmly holding the top spot.

In the context of top automakers especially automotive central SOEs generally negative growth, SAIC held the position with year-on-year basically flat performance, and its independent, new energy, overseas three core sectors growth far exceeded the industry average.

This means, SAIC's basic position is undergoing profound structural replacement, especially its independent and joint venture balance has undergone fundamental reversal.

(II) Despite Wind and Rain, the King Returns

May 28, 2026, Shanghai North Bund World Living Room, in the applause of industry amazement and user pride, SAIC Motor Group held the global 100 millionth user delivery ceremony, its 15 brands, 19 models with global relay delivery method across Asia-Europe, linked globally, officially became the first automobile group in Chinese automotive industry history with cumulative production and sales exceeding 100 million vehicles.

Dare to be first for China.

From 1955 alley workshop start, to 1958 workers used hammer to knock out Phoenix car to achieve zero breakthrough, SAIC, long ago like FAW and Hongqi, became the label and symbol of Chinese automobiles.

Dare to be first for sedans.

From 1983 Santana offline to open Chinese sedan joint venture era, to 2006 independent brand Roewe birth.

Dare to be first for era.

From 2016 global first Internet car Roewe RX5 exploding Internet of Vehicles, to 2020IM Motorsestablished anchor high-end intelligent electric, SAIC over 70 years of development history, itself is a Chinese auto industry from nothing to something, from weak to strong evolution history.

Since this century, SAIC once continuously 18 years蝉联Chinese auto sales champion, is the industry leader without doubt.

In the new energy wave intense shock, SAIC also once briefly slipped to runner-up position, also exists doubt:

Relying on joint venture era ended?

Elephant turning too slow?

Time is the best referee!

First half of 2026, SAIC with 2.045 million vehicles became domestic only breakthrough 2 million vehicles threshold automaker, strongly grabbed half-way champion;

January-July continued leading, King returns.

From 100 million vehicles historical height to King leading reality speed, SAIC used market performance prove:

Scale leading is not the end, quality leading is the direction.

This is not accidental bottom rebound, but a long-term brewing systematic reform concentrated cash out.

Early 2025, SAIC started large passenger car, large commercial vehicle sector reform integration,打通 product definition, R&D, production, marketing full link, compress management level and decision chain;

Joint venture sector, SAIC-GM renewed to 20 years to 2047 start Zhijing model, SAIC Volkswagen renewed to 2040 to enter technical co-creation, SAIC Audi start ADP Platform new strategic cooperation.

As Chinese auto joint venture pioneer and vanguard, this time, SAIC's three major joint venture brands all completed from technology introduction to co-creation and joint research paradigm upgrade.

Thus far, SAIC in joint venture, passenger car, commercial vehicle, overseas market layout all completed, overall from planning layout "entered full sprint phase.

(III) All-Rounder, Real Skills

If use one word summarize SAIC current competitive state, that is:

All-Rounder!

No obvious weakness, every subject is improving, and several core subjects are sprinting for good, excellent, impact full score.

Passenger and Commercial Vehicles Together, is chassis stability.

Passenger car sector, SAIC Passenger Car July sales 107,000 vehicles, up 78.2% year-on-year, January-July cumulative 656,000 vehicles, up 53.4% year-on-year;

IM Motors January-July cumulative sales 46,000 vehicles, up 82.4% year-on-year, high-end process continuous acceleration;

SAIC-GM-Wuling monthly sales maintain 100,000 vehicles level scale,Huajing SJuly delivery breakthrough 7,200 vehicles, cumulative delivery breakthrough 20,000 vehicles, joined flagship large six-seater new energy SUV first echelon.

Commercial vehicle sector, SAIC Maxus July sales 23,000 vehicles, up 29.8% year-on-year, January-July cumulative 161,000 vehicles, up 29.2% year-on-year;

SAIC Hongyanand Thailand top port large customer reached 1,000 vehicles new energy heavy truck strategic cooperation, break foreign brand in Thailand heavy truck market monopoly pattern.

Large commercial vehicle strategy anchor Chinese light van first, new energy light commercial first, overseas light commercial export first three support, passenger commercial together, dual-wheel drive pattern has formed.

Oil and Electric Intelligence, is technology equity.

SAIC did not bet on single technology route, but with full scenario, full technology route, full price band product portfolio cover market.

Pure electric, extended range, plug-in hybrid, fuel four lines advance, and every line all put out hard technology:

DMH hybrid thermal efficiency 46.3%, Star Super Extended Range pure electric range 450 km, semi-solid state battery global first batch mass production on board, wire-controlled steering technology first mass production landing.

More importantly technology equity, 60,000 yuan level Roewe i6 standard 8155 chip, Doubao Large Model, 90,000 yuan levelMG4Xfull series semi-solid state battery, rear drive five-link, 150,000 yuan level Clever Zhijing E7 first launch Doubao Large Model, Qualcomm 8775 chip, 200,000 yuan level Shangjie full series Huawei ADS 4.1+896-line LiDAR.

July,IM LS9 Hyperfirst standard full line wire-controlled four-wheel steering, bring million-level luxury technology into 300,000 yuan level interval;

MG07 will 800V+5C fast charging and 845 km range into 150,000 yuan pure electric coupe market, pre-sale 20 hours orders breakthrough 21,000, listing less than two minutes large order break 10,000.

SAIC Roewe and ByteDance Volcano Engine deep co-creation global first AI native car—Jia Yue 07 open blind order, put far beyond 250,000 yuan level full family configuration down into 150,000 yuan mainstream price interval,凭借 spacious space, long range capability, fully equipped cabin and Momenta R7 world model, bring more Chinese families high-quality travel experience. Currently, Jia Yue 07 blind order orders have exceeded 11,000.

Technology is no longer cold numbers on parameter sheet, but user-perceived value experience.

This is exactly knowing cars better knowing you better implementation.

Domestic and Overseas Both Thriving, is space breakthrough. 

Domestic market steady leading at the same time, overseas market is becoming SAIC growth second curve.

January-July overseas cumulative sales 876,000 vehicles, up 52.1% year-on-year; July single month 142,000 vehicles, up 72.5% year-on-year.

Europe as largest overseas market, MG brand January-July cumulative sales 218,000 vehicles, up 22.8% year-on-year,蝉联Chinese brand Europe sales champion, and became first in Europe cumulative sales breakthrough 1 million vehicles Chinese auto brand.

SAIC in shareholders meeting explicitly propose "No Overseas, No Survival", this year Europe target 400,000 vehicles, Spain factory steadily promote.

More symbolic significance is, July 8, MG in UK London held technology conference, bring frontier smart electric technology back to brand birthplace;

July 9, MG appeared Goodwood Festival of Speed, global launch MG Go! and Cyber Concept two concept cars.

From Frankfurt to London, from product export to technology output, SAIC's Glocal 3.0 strategy is realizing from going out to going up leap:

Scale expansion to value creation, product output to standard output.

Dual Excellence in Culture and Tech, is ecosystem depth.

Culture is brand and culture, Tech is technology and manufacturing.

SAIC nearly 10 years in electrification, intelligentization field cumulative investment nearly 190 billion yuan, own over 24,000 valid patents, build autonomous controllable technology base.

But SAIC's ambition not limited to making cars:

Through strategic direct investment, SAIC has cumulative investment over 18 billion yuan, harvest 85 listed companies, build AI, humanoid robot, chip, intelligent chassis industry ecosystem network.

Momenta HKEX IPO, SAIC is largest external shareholder;

CXMT STAR Market listing, fundraising 57.9 billion yuan create STAR Market record, SAIC Financial Holdings is early investor;

2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, SAIC 34 invested companies centralized appearance, from underlying computing chip to large model, from embodied intelligence to brain-computer interface, cover AI full industry chain.

Invest its use, use so investment production investment integration model, let SAIC from manufacturer to eco-tech enterprise transformation, ecosystem is becoming its widest moat.

(IV) Through Cycles, SAIC DNA

Look back SAIC over 70 years history, it through joint venture opening cycle, independent brand rise cycle, new energy disruption cycle, and current intelligence and globalization superposition new cycle.

Every time industry upheaval, once had voice pessimistic:

SAIC can't do it?

But every time, SAIC used performance respond to doubt.

Behind logic is breakthrough, cooperation, quality three cultural genes throughout.

Breakthrough, is from alley workshop to 100 million vehicle level automaker dare to be first;

Cooperation, is from Santana joint venture to Huawei, Momenta, Audi co-creation and joint research open mindset;

Quality, is from Santana localization establish world-class quality system to Magic Cube Battery zero spontaneous combustion record ultimate pursuit.

Three in one, landing on:

Knows Cars Better, Knows You Better!

Know Cars is to core technology ultimate pursuit, Know You is to frontier technology landing to user-perceived beautiful travel experience.

2026 Fortune Global 500 Ranking, SAIC ranked 125th, up 13 positions from last year.

In 15th Five-Year Plan intelligent connected new energy vehicle clearly new quality productive forces core track opening year, SAIC with mid-season leading momentum, with 100 million vehicle milestone posture, with four major coordinated efforts state, for Chinese auto industry high-quality development write SAIC footnote.

Black July will pass, but through cycles ability will not fade.

When industry expect galloping horses new pattern, one horse leading SAIC, one special All-Rounder already prove:

True Kings are not those who never fall, but those who always get up!

And, each time getting up again, can:

Grab some mud, seize opportunities;

With reflection, with exploration;

Climb faster, run faster;

Stand higher, live longer!

Two months ago, Xu Yin was transferred from Thailand back to China, taking up the new position of Deputy General Manager of IM Motors. He met with core dealers across the country and obtained two sets of data: in the first half of the year, 527 new car models were launched domestically; from January to July, the entire market declined by 20%.

"The Thailand market itself was very competitive, but after coming back, I found the domestic market even more competitive, and the pace is also faster." Xu Yin summarized.

IM Motors Deputy General Manager Xu Yin

Faced with a red sea where over 500 new models were launched in half a year and the overall market declined by 20%, IM Motors' solution seemed somewhat counter-intuitive — standardize wire-controlled chassis across all models of the 200,000 yuan sedan class, invite a haute couture shoe master to create a limited edition, and then affix a label: Not For Everyone.

This was also a term repeatedly mentioned by IM Motors Brand and User Senior Director Qiao Qiao at the group interview scene.

This is a very catchy slogan. In the current automotive market, almost every new car launch claims to be "for young people" or "born for family travel", essentially all attempting to cover as many people as possible.

IM L6's choice is exactly the opposite — it actively draws a smaller circle for itself.

"A car cannot express everyone's personality at the same time." Qiao Qiao said.

IM Motors Brand and User Senior Director Qiao Qiao

However, defining "the majority" has been the mainstream logic in the automotive industry in recent years. Successful models almost all followed a principle: add functions on functions, broaden the target audience. The key to this mindset lies in the belief that "being liked by everyone" and "being deeply loved by some", in the current environment, the latter's commercial value may be higher. In the exclusive interview, Xu Yin had a statement: "Don't just talk about parameters all the time, such as 2.74 seconds, 800V, 850km, but think more about what emotional value you can provide to users."

The Jimmy Choo collaboration version is the ultimate expression of emotional value. Crystal decoration, exclusive blue, haute couture texture — these elements are often categorized as "niche aesthetics" in traditional automotive marketing. But Qiao Qiao revealed that they found many male users also felt it was nice, and some wanted to buy it as a gift. "In terms of looks, it appeals to both men and women, just aesthetically closer to female preferences."

If Jimmy Choo represents the soft line of "emotional value", then standardizing wire-controlled chassis across the full range is IM L6's hard card.

At the group interview, Xu Yin defined the "New Three Major Parts" as: wire-controlled chassis, 800V ultra-high voltage fast charging, and advanced intelligence. He believes consumers should step out of the old narrative of "TVs, refrigerators, and large sofas" and focus on true technological gaps.

Wire-controlled chassis is the hardest card among them. One month ago, the new national standard for wire-controlled steering was officially implemented. Suppliers such as Bosch and ZF had just begun to roll out capacity, while IM L6 was the first in the 200,000 yuan sedan market to standardize across the range. Before this, this configuration mainly appeared in million-yuan luxury cars or high-spec versions of flagship products like IM LS9 Hyper.

But he also frankly admitted that cost pressure does exist. "Current market competition is very intense, we must bring out the most sincere products", "The configuration of wire-controlled chassis, cost considerations, and the sincere price finally given, these three will jointly determine our subsequent sales and market performance."

Standardizing B&O audio across the full range is a more microscopic game sample. Qiao Qiao revealed that the team was "struggling for a long time" on whether B&O should be an option or a standard configuration. "After multiple rounds of cost calculations, we deeply know that standardizing B&O across the full range will bear huge cost pressure, but in the end, we bore the pressure and decided to standardize B&O across the full range."

This pressure came not only from internal costs but also from the macro environment mentioned at the beginning. Xu Yin provided a very pragmatic perspective in the group interview. He observed that the pure electric market is still growing, while the range-extended and fuel markets are declining. IM Motors chose to focus efforts in the pure electric track, launching three new products consecutively in the second half of the year, which is "going with the trend".

On the other hand of "going with the trend" is "playing cards against the trend". When most brands fight for price-performance in the stock market, IM Motors tries to build barriers in two ways: at the technical level, standardize wire-controlled chassis, 800V super charging, and advanced intelligent driving to make it difficult for competitors to follow up in the short term; at the brand level, establish aesthetic barriers with cross-border collaborations like Jimmy Choo, turning "aesthetics online" from user evaluation into brand assets.

Xu Yin's answer to sales expectations also revealed his train of thought: "Right now I care more about: whether consumers are satisfied with every detail we present, whether the service capability at the dealer end is improving, and whether every user who gets the car truly recognizes it. If these can be done, with such great sincerity, so many configurations, and such competitive prices, sales will naturally come as the water completes the channel."

In 2026, when the flood of cars strategy has completely failed, IM L6 chose a different path: use hard core technology as the base, use emotional value as the top, and leave the middle for the "Not For Everyone" crowd. This may not be a strategy that everyone can understand, but as Qiao Qiao said: "Everyone can see that the Prof. JimmyChoo Haute Couture Limited Edition model has hardly produced similar products in the previous automotive industry."

In a market with 500 new cars in half a year, "unprecedented" itself might be the biggest competitiveness.

Below are the core content of the interview, which we organized and edited without changing the original meaning.

The interviewees are:

IM Motors Deputy General Manager Xu Yin

IM Motors Brand and User Senior Director Qiao Qiao

Question: How did this cooperation with Jimmy Choo start?

Xu Yin: I only returned to China this June. As everyone knows, the launch cycle of a car cannot be just one or two months, so when I intervened in this project, the work had already progressed to the middle and late stages. Combining with my experience, I would like to summarize this cross-border cooperation in three words.

First is style. Everyone can intuitively feel the unique style and texture from today's product presentation of the all-new IM L6 and the on-site layout of this event. All design details are to endow this car with unique fashion style.

Second is breaking the circle. Currently the automotive market homogenization is serious, the audience circles of most models are relatively fixed, brands and products are easily limited within existing circles. We have been thinking about how to break industry boundaries, reach more diversified user groups, and this cooperation with international haute couture master Prof. JimmyChoo is indeed an important attempt for us to break the circle.

Third is resonance and mutual effort. Mr. Prof. JimmyChoo expressed high recognition of the overall vehicle shape, interior texture, and body lines upon his first contact with this car. Because of mutual aesthetic alignment and concept interchange, both parties clicked and reached a consensus quickly, jointly promoting the development of this car.

Qiao Qiao: When we first proposed the cross-border cooperation creative concept with Prof. JimmyChoo, many people actually felt it was quite bold, even somewhat imaginative. There are rarely car companies that deeply link with international haute couture fashion masters, let alone brands that land fashion haute couture design on mass production models, most of which stay at the superficial level of promotional co-branding and limited edition cooperation. Honestly, at first we were also unsure in our hearts. On the basis of IM L6, we hope to use top-level fashion design empowerment to take product texture and brand tone to another level. For this reason, our team repeatedly pondered the plan and polished design details, just like what Mr. Xu and Mr. Prof. JimmyChoo shared at the press conference, traveling back and forth from London to Shanghai multiple times, just to make the details perfect. Slowly, we found that this car really changed. On the basis of the IM L6 which was already very beautiful, it became even more stunning, and at this time we had full confidence.

Nowadays the new generation of consumers often say a word called "aesthetics online". Everyone has been evaluating IM Motors' aesthetics as unique and always online, we hope to continue this characteristic on this car. Now the domestic market has 200+ sedans launching densely, we hope to launch a new model that can truly stun everyone, letting users feel that this brand understands my aesthetics.

Question: What is the sales expectation for this car? What core dimensions will the new model further move the target consumer group from?

Xu Yin: We were indeed very sincere this time: First, adopted a new powertrain system; Second, standardized wire-controlled chassis across the full range, this configuration usually only appears on million-yuan luxury cars, there should be no similar configuration currently in sold sedans; Third, upgraded AI Agent intelligent driving experience across the full range.

In addition, there is a series of comfort configuration upgrades, all of which explain one thing — this L6 has no shortcomings, only strengths, and the strengths are very prominent, we use this to re-enter the sedan market.

You mentioned comparison with competitors just now, I admit the head aggregation effect of this niche market is very obvious, this point must be faced squarely. I spent a lot of time paying attention to users' real feelings, including feedback everyone sees when looking at this car. Compared to the previous generation L6, we standardized more new configurations and did many upgrades, just hoping consumers can get more substantial things. Including appearance design, and many new elements integrated into the haute couture limited edition, we hope everyone can feel our sincerity.

Question: Such a distinct style, will it rather limit the user group? What target audience does this generation L6 actually want to sell to? Behind this cooperation, what social trends did we observe?

Qiao Qiao: We stated at the opening of the press conference that we do not want it to become a car that is "for everyone" on the surface. Because this comes from real user needs, this is not that we don't want to sell cars, but this car truly represents unique personality. We believe a car cannot express everyone's personality at the same time, but can come one by one.

Mr. Xu has always told us not to just talk about parameters all the time, such as 2.74 seconds, 800V, 850km, but think more about what emotional value you can provide to users. Why does some cars' heat drop after selling for two or three months? Because the product is still that product, but consumers' aesthetics and taste are changing, if you don't keep up, you will be neglected.

The all-new IM L6 is in a sense like a "canvas". It is not just a simple upgraded model, today it has haute couture texture, tomorrow it can play mountain roads and drifts together, the day after tomorrow there may be more surprises waiting for everyone.

Back to the original question, L6 is not just for girls, but more for new generation consumers to express confidence and personality, it is a "Not For Everyone" car.

Question: Only the high-spec version of flagship model LS9 was equipped with wire-controlled steering, didn't expect this all-new IM L6 to standardize it across the full range. Why is IM Motors so obsessed with this technology?

Xu Yin: At the previous IM LS9 Hyper press conference, we proposed the concept of "New Three Major Parts". In the past, people buying cars looked at TVs, refrigerators, and large sofas, now we think consumers should pay attention to the new three major parts: First is wire-controlled chassis, Second is 800V ultra-high voltage fast charging, Third is advanced intelligence.

Our biggest sincerity this time is to fully move this configuration, which was only available in million-yuan luxury cars before, to the 200,000 yuan home sedan market, allowing ordinary consumers to experience top technology at a higher level. One month ago, the new national standard for wire-controlled steering was officially implemented. As the physical cornerstone of L3 and L4 level intelligent driving, I believe wire-controlled chassis will become the standard configuration for the next generation intelligent driving system.

Question: Now everyone in the industry uses CATL batteries, it is hard to make too much difference, models with energy consumption below 11 degrees have been out, where is the main differentiation of this generation's Three-Electric Architecture?

Xu Yin: First is the ultra-low 11.6 kWh energy consumption per 100km, able to maximize battery range capability;

Secondly, 800V ultra-fast charging solves refueling anxiety. Most high-rate fast charging models in the industry have extremely high requirements for charging pile specifications, many public piles and highway piles cannot charge at full power.

Third is safety, this is what I emphasized repeatedly today, all technology eventually revolves around safety. Three-electric safety, battery safety, if the high-voltage system appears abnormal smoking, we will directly cut off power protection.

Regarding battery selection, we cooperated with CATL, used a 93 kWh golden high-efficiency battery. This capacity was fully weighed, comprehensively considering body weight, energy consumption performance and charging efficiency, finally found the balance point that maximizes consumer benefits.

In addition, the comprehensive efficiency of the new electric drive improved by 2.8%, and weight was reduced by 8%. These two numbers don't sound big, but actually our motor efficiency was already very high, increasing 2.8% on such a high base is already a big breakthrough.

Question: L6 is equipped with B&O, how did IM Motors solve the cost control aspect, is there any behind-the-scenes story to share? In product definition, why does IM Motors insist on using B&O on this L6 car? Behind the higher pursuit of sound quality and physical sensation for users, what overall image and temperament does this car hope to convey to the outside world?

Qiao Qiao: Regarding the B&O cost issue, when we were discussing configurations at that time, we were always struggling on whether B&O should be an option or a standard configuration, this discussion lasted until near the pre-sale phase. After multiple rounds of cost calculations, we deeply know that standardizing B&O across the full range will bear huge cost pressure, but in the end, we bore the pressure and decided to standardize B&O across the full range.

Almost every user plays music when driving and traveling, exclusive driving BGM is the key to creating travel atmosphere and filling up emotional texture. The B&O audio installed on this L6 not only has sufficient hardware power, but is also customized tuned by B&O professional tuners for L6 exclusive cabin space and acoustic environment, sound effect adaptability and subtlety far exceed ordinary audio of the same level.

So no matter how big the pressure, how high the cost, we still insisted on installing a complete set of B&O audio for everyone, hoping our users can have high-end auditory enjoyment on every journey. From LS9 to LS8, then to L6, now even 200,000 yuan products are equipped, future full range new products will also continue to extend high-end audio configuration standards, giving everyone a very high-end audio experience, this point cannot be missing.

Question: IM Motors is going to focus energy in the second half of the year, can you share the upcoming product rhythm and planning?

Xu Yin: This year the overall market competition is fierce, the brand's annual sales are under pressure, so in the second half of the year we will intensively promote product iteration, go all out for the market, bring multiple upgraded new products, comprehensively strengthen product competitiveness. Today's all-new IM L6 is the first one, next in September the new generation LS6 will be launched, there will be big improvements in powertrain system, chassis, AI Agent, comfort configurations, everyone should pay attention. By October, LS8 will launch the pure electric version. Overall, the second half of the year will continue to focus on the pure electric market.

Question: Just transferred from Thailand back to China, how do you view the current phenomenon that new car hot sales periods are getting shorter?

Xu Yin: First respond to the first question. The Thailand market itself was very competitive, but after coming back found the domestic market even more competitive, and the pace is also faster. But objectively speaking, the Thailand market has changed greatly in these five or six years, all Chinese brands you can imagine are basically there, enough to show the intensity of competition there.

Back to these two months in China, I deeply felt the intensity of the Chinese market. Two weeks ago, I held a meeting with core dealer partners across the country to communicate second half plans. Several data shocked me: First,居然 there were 527 new car models launched in the first half of the year; Second, the entire market declined by 20% from January to July.

But at the same time, I also saw some growth signals — the pure electric market is growing, the main decline is in range-extended and fuel markets. This exactly fits the release rhythm of our three new generation pure electric cars starting today in the second half of the year.

Our idea is to actively respond to market changes, put our best pure electric products into competition.

The work idea in the second half of the year, although the overall market is falling, but our direction is clear: First is on products, the pure electric market is still rising, we go with the trend, launch three new pure electric products; Second is on terminal service capabilities, I hope when every user mentions our car they are satisfied. If users are satisfied, sales is a natural outcome. This is the direction I will focus on promoting in the second half of the year.

Question: Standardizing wire-controlled chassis across the full range, does it bring cost pressure? Will it affect vehicle overall profits?

Xu Yin: Qiao Qiao just mentioned, IM Motors relies on SAIC Group, having hard core technical reserves. Of course cost is indeed a consideration factor, but current market competition is very intense, we must bring out the most sincere products and the most leading technology, consumers will then pay. The configuration of wire-controlled chassis, cost considerations, and the sincere price finally given, these three will jointly determine our subsequent sales and market performance.

Question: Today this L6 is called "All-New Generation", why is it still called All-New Generation without appearance changes?

Qiao Qiao: We found that some classic designs, some designs already generally accepted by everyone, usually do not make big changes. In the current market environment, the concept of "All-New Generation" is not equivalent to changing a set of shells. More importantly, whether it fits current people's aesthetics, whether it satisfies everyone's expectation for future technology. So in design, we retained elements already recognized by the market, then cooperated with Prof. JimmyChoo team, jointly promoting its characteristics to be carried forward, making it more fitting international aesthetics.

On the basis of intelligentization, chassis, three-electric comprehensive innovation, I think such a car should be more called "All-New Generation", not just a simple annual update. In addition, everyone likes comfort configurations all available, B&O audio, adjustable light sunroof that female users like, high-spec seat configurations, and refrigerators that this level usually requires options, we equipped all for everyone. From configuration upgrade to technology iteration, to appearance more classic, more international aesthetics, I believe for everyone this car must be brand new.

Question: I would like you to talk about the specific situation of IM Motors in Thailand, and whether there is any new layout overseas especially in Southeast Asia in the future?

Xu Yin: Now going overseas is an unavoidable topic. Just like domestic cannot avoid intelligent driving, going overseas is a strategic direction all OEMs must face, IM Motors is no exception. Our Mr. Liu Tao currently specializes in overseas business operations. When I worked in Thailand, Thailand was the first stop for IM Motors going overseas.

LS6 and L6 models performed well in Thailand, last year sold about 1,700+ units, this year expected to exceed 2,000 units. Thailand overall market capacity is about 600,000 units, the volume is not big, this sales is already quite good performance.

Currently we are actively expanding the global market, mainly focusing on Europe, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand markets are also being explored simultaneously. IM Motors' layout overseas will accelerate, this is an unquestionable direction. Next LS8 will also go overseas, may include left-hand drive and right-hand drive versions, power forms mainly pure electric, some markets will also consider launching range-extended versions.

Question: In terms of tactics, who are our core competitors?

Qiao Qiao: There are indeed many excellent models in the market, but you will find, who is who's competitor, who is paying tribute to whom, who seems to be carved from the same mold as whom. And from the consumer's perspective, when they want to show their uniqueness, they are less willing to see other people's shadows.

So we didn't define this car from the "quantity" angle, but from the "person" angle, went to research our users. We hope to maximize personalization and emotional value on the basis of original design, so we found Prof. JimmyChoo. Everyone also saw, he clearly stated at the press conference, unwilling to have his name appear on those copy works. And this car, he felt there was space to play, he was willing to do a special version for it. This is mutual recognition. In the future, we hope not only through this cooperation, but have more imagination space, give to today's young consumer group a better, more unique, more not following the crowd choice.

Operator Financial Network Auto Channel, Li Guangyan/Article

On August 18, the new generation IM L6 started pre-sales. At the launch event, Xu Yin made his public debut for the first time as the Vice President of IM Motors, indicating that IM Motors has undergone personnel adjustments.

It is understood that Xu Yin is a veteran of SAIC Group, working in the group for nearly twenty years, and had served at SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle for a long time. In 2015, Xu Yin was appointed Senior Manager of Roewe Brand Marketing Department Roewe Regional Marketing (Zone 2 R), then in 2018, he appeared publicly as Senior Manager of SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle New Energy Marketing Section, mainly responsible for the national new energy sales business of SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle.

After this, SAIC Group began to vigorously develop overseas businesses, and Xu Yin was transferred to Thailand to be responsible for the sales of SAIC products in Thailand. Before taking the new position as Vice President of IM Motors this time, his disclosed title to the outside was the General Manager of MG Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and the Deputy General Manager of SAIC Chengda Co., Ltd.

It is worth noting that during the new generation IM L6 launch event, Xu Yin was the sole presenter throughout, while IM Motors Co-CEO Liu Tao did not appear. According to information revealed in media group interviews, Liu Tao still serves as IM Motors Co-CEO, but the business focus has shifted to overseas market operations. In June of this year, Xu Yin was transferred back from Thailand to China, appointed Vice President of IM Motors, responsible for IM's marketing and sales business in China, and has only been in the post for about two months.

Public data shows that in July 2026, IM Motors' sales were 5,900 units, a year-on-year increase of 1.57%, with cumulative sales of 45,552 units in the first 7 months, a year-on-year increase of 82.45%. Although the increase is significant, there is still a considerable gap from the target of 110,000 to 130,000 units.

Xu Yin stated that he would not discuss specific sales targets, but win consumers with product strength and service. "If they are satisfied, we have such great potential, and such low prices, I believe the sales will follow naturally."

Operator Financial Network will continue to pay attention to the future development of IM Motors and Xu Yin.

"I admit the top concentration effect in this segmented market is very obvious, this must be faced squarely." During the post-pre-sale media group interview for the new generation IM L6 on the evening of August 18, IM Automotive Vice General Manager Xu Yin described the current competitive landscape of the large and mid-size new energy sedan market. This is also Xu Yin's first time facing the media with a new identity after being transferred back from Thailand.

As Xu Yin said, only 3 cars in the large and mid-size new energy sedan market sold over 5,000 units in July. Among them, Xiaomi SU7 led by a large margin with monthly sales of over 20,000 units; the second-ranked Shangjie Z7/Z7T sold 9,142 units; followed by Denza Z9GT with monthly sales of 5,344 units.

On the evening of that day, the new generation IM L6 started pre-sale, launching Max, Pro Max, and Ultra three standard versions, with pre-sale rights price starting from 219,900 yuan to 269,900 yuan. In addition, the new generation IM L6 Prof. Jimmy Choo Haute Couture Limited Edition also went on sale simultaneously, offering two battery configurations of 76kWh and 93kWh, with pre-sale rights prices of 234,900 yuan and 249,900 yuan respectively, with 1,000 seats opened in the first batch.

01

"Honest Configuration Pricing, Sales Will Follow Naturally"

Xu Yin described the new generation IM L6 as "having no weak points, only strong points, and the strong points are very prominent". This car did not make major changes in appearance design, and upgrades mainly focus on comprehensive innovation in chassis, three-electric systems, and intelligence.

First, the new generation IM L6 comes standard with a full line-controlled chassis. This is also the only car in the 200,000-yuan class sedan that has this feature, which was previously only available on models above 300,000 yuan. This chassis integrates full line-controlled steering, large angle line-controlled rear-wheel steering, and Continental Germany MKC2 line-controlled brakes, equipped with triple safety redundancy; the steering wheel reaches full lock in half a turn, combined with bi-directional 18-degree four-wheel steering, U-turns on narrow roads and parking in narrow spaces can be completed in one go.

The three-electric system is also comprehensively refreshed. The new generation IM L6 is equipped with SAIC's new NEO three-electric architecture, equipped with CATL 93kWh battery, energy consumption as low as 11.6kWh per 100km; CLTC range 850km; relying on the all-domain 800V platform, supports 396kW ultra-fast charging, 15 minutes can replenish 580km, and compatible with over 90% of charging piles on the market. In terms of performance, the new generation IM L6 accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 2.74 seconds, braking distance of 100km/h is 33 meters.

In terms of intelligence, IM collaborated with Momenta to develop the IM AD intelligent driving system; at the same time equipped with IM Ultra Agent, can complete complex itinerary planning and real-time adjustments such as multi-point pickup and convenient stops via voice. In addition, the new generation IM L6 also comes standard with Danish B&O audio, instant sense smart control sunshading sky canopy, 5.7L warm and cold smart refrigerator, space chairs, etc. Especially the Danish B&O audio, Jiao Qiao emphasized, this configuration discussion continued until the pre-sale approaching stage, finally decided to standardize despite cost pressure.

"As for sales expectations, I am now more concerned about: whether consumers are satisfied with every detail we present, whether dealer service capabilities are improving, and whether every user who gets the car genuinely recognizes it. If all these can be achieved, with such great sincerity, so many configurations, and such competitive prices, sales will naturally follow." Xu Yin said. Although no clear sales figures were given, from this description, he is still confident in the market performance of the new generation IM L6.

02

L6 is a "Canvas", Jimmy Choo Collaboration Breaks Circles

"Don't just talk about parameters, such as 2.74 seconds, 800 volts, 850 kilometers, but think more about what emotional value can be provided to users." Xu Yin proposed, why does the heat of some cars drop after selling for two or three months? The reason is that the product does not change, but consumer aesthetics and taste are changing. "If you can't keep up, you will be neglected." Xu Yin said.

IM Brand and User Senior Director Jiao Qiao further described L6 as a "canvas". He believes that on the basis of L6's original design and technical foundation, cars can have more possibilities and attract different users through different co-branding and collaborations. This new generation IM co-released Prof. Jimmy Choo Haute Couture Limited Edition is the co-branded design between IM and British Royal Honorary Chinese Designer Prof. Jimmy Choo (Zhou Yangjie).

In the movie "Love Myth", a shoe cobbler said "Every woman needs at least one pair of Jimmy Choo in her lifetime". In the new generation IM L6 Prof. Jimmy Choo Haute Couture Limited Edition, design elements such as star-radiant crystal glass fittings, "Haute Couture Blue" silk-feel pearlescent leather, soft-light mother-of-pearl trim panels, etc., are integrated, and the rear tail also has Prof. Jimmy Choo's handwritten signature logo. In addition, placing an order for this version of the model also gifts exclusive rights such as high-end footwear.

Xu Yin summarized this collaboration with three words: Style, Break the Circle, Resonate at the Same Frequency. "Currently the automotive market homogenization is serious, the audience circles of most models are relatively fixed, brands and products are easily limited within existing circles." Xu Yin stated, this collaboration with Jimmy Choo is an important attempt for IM to break the circle. Currently, the communication linkage with fashion media such as Vogue has successfully let IM L6 jump out of the automotive circle, into the public fashion vision, achieving the initial plan.

When describing the new generation IM L6, Jiao Qiao mentioned the phrase "Not For Everyone" many times. This phrase translated is "Not suitable for everyone". Jiao Qiao explained: "This is not that we don't want to sell cars, but this car indeed represents unique personality. We believe a car cannot express everyone's character at the same time, but can do it one by one."

It is reported that at the Chengdu Auto Show, IM will also launch an IM L6 with a completely different style with Chinese tuner master Sean Lee (Li Hongsheng), emphasizing handling performance and driving texture more. "We hope to cover a wider range of people with hardcore driving control experience while maintaining the high aesthetic and style of this car, to please both men and women." Xu Yin said.

03

Increase Sales, Focus on Pure Electric + Overseas Market

"Coming back to domestic for these two months, I felt the intensity of the Chinese market deeply." Xu Yin shared a set of domestic market data that "shocked" himself: First, 527 new cars were released in the Chinese market in the first half year; the entire market dropped by 20% from January to July. Under this situation, Xu Yin admitted that IM brand indeed has "sales pressure for the whole year".

At the same time, Xu Yin also saw the opportunity. "The pure electric market is growing, the decline is mainly in the range-extended and fuel markets. This fits exactly the release rhythm of the three new generations of pure electric vehicles we started today in the second half of the year. Our idea is to actively respond to market changes and put our best pure electric products into competition." Xu Yin said.

According to the plan, in August, IM will launch the new generation IM L6; in September, the new generation LS6 will be launched, with significant improvements in three-electric systems, chassis, AI Agent, and comfort configurations; in October, the LS8 pure electric version will be launched. "Although the market overall is falling, but our direction is very clear: First, on products, the pure electric market is still rising, we go with the flow; Second, on terminal service capability, I hope every user is satisfied when mentioning our car. Once users are satisfied, sales will be a matter of course." Xu Yin said.

"Going overseas is a topic that cannot be avoided now. Just like domestic cannot avoid intelligent driving, going overseas is a strategic direction that all OEMs must face, IM is no exception." Xu Yin stated, IM's layout overseas will accelerate, this is an "undoubted direction". It is reported that currently IM Co-CEO Liu Tao is specially responsible for overseas business operations, focusing on the European market, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand are also being developed simultaneously. According to the plan, next LS8 will also go overseas, may launch left-hand drive and right-hand drive versions, power forms mainly pure electric, some markets will also consider launching range-extended versions.

IM Motors Deputy General Manager Xu Yin

On the evening of August 18, at the pre-sale launch event for the all-new IM L6, a new face appeared — IM Motors Deputy General Manager Xu Yin. This was his first public appearance in this role.

Before this, IM Motors' personnel layout was quietly adjusted.

On the product front, the all-new IM L6 launched a Bespoke Edition seeking to break boundaries. The LS6 is soon to get a new generation, and the LS8 will launch an all-electric version — a new product offensive is about to launch.

The new cycle of personnel and products has begun, and IM Motors welcomes new opportunities.

01

IM L6 Launches Bespoke Edition to Break Boundaries

The true protagonist of this launch event is the all-new IM L6.

This time IM Motors brought in British Royal Court Honoured Chinese Designer Jimmy Choo (Prof. Jimmy Choo) for a collaboration. This is the world's first Prof. Jimmy Choo co-branded vehicle, Jimmy Choo dedicated his lifelong pursuit of aesthetics, materials, and details to the new car.

Jimmy Choo explained the IM L6 bespoke design concepts at the launch event

Jimmy Choo left three major aesthetic symbols on this car:

• Starlight Crystal Glass Trim Series, from exclusive crystal car logo, fender camera covers to center console buttons, perfectly inherits Jimmy Choo's classic crystal design language, replicating the bespoke crystal texture of ultra-luxury cars.

• "Bespoke Blue" Silk-Feel Pearl Leather and Exclusive Signature Calipers, inspired by the classic moment Princess Diana wore Jimmy Choo blue satin high heels on stage for "Swan Lake" in 1997;

• Soft-Light Mother-of-Pearl Trim Plate, carries the dual meaning of light and love with natural mother-of-pearl texture, decorated on the door panels, giving every entry and exit a unique sense of ritual.

Additionally, multiple bespoke exclusive signatures on the whole car all use bespoke craftsmanship, such as fashion-sourced 3D embroidery, exclusive welcome pedals, custom wool floor mats, the rear is engraved with Prof. Jimmy Choo's autograph logo.

At the same time, the new car range shares bespoke design DNA, launching six artistic paint colors: Beige Silver, Mucha Green, Raphael Tea, Matisse Red, Morandi Purple, Ares Black, paired with two interior colors: Knight Black, Fula Pink.

Besides the bespoke design, the all-new L6 has also welcomed three major key technology iterations.

The all-new L6 comes standard with a full-by-wire chassis, including full-by-wire steering, large-angle by-wire rear-wheel steering, and German Continental MKC2 by-wire braking. IM Motors has downsized the configuration originally found in million-level luxury cars to the 200,000 RMB level.

Regarding the three-electric systems, relying on SAIC's new "NEO Three-Electric Architecture", the all-new IM L6 adopts a NEO Hurricane Motor paired with the self-developed Energy Efficiency Master Management System 3.0, vehicle consumption per 100km as low as 11.6 kWh. The new car is equipped with CATL 93 kWh "Golden Efficiency" Battery, CLTC range up to 850 km; relying on the Full-domain 800V platform, it supports 396 kW ultra-fast charging, 15 min charging adds 580 km, and is compatible with over 90% of charging piles on the market. Performance is equally class-defying, 0-100 km/h acceleration in 2.74s, comparable to the explosive power of million-level supercars; 100 km braking distance only 33m.

In terms of intelligent experience, IM AD iteration developed jointly with Momenta. The full-domain assistant IM Ultra Agent can complete complex itinerary planning and real-time adjustments for multi-point pick-ups and stopovers with one sentence. Additionally, first in class with standard Danish B&O luxury audio system across all models, unprecedented at the 200,000 RMB level; there is also the first in class to feature standard Instant Sense Smart Control Sunshade Sky Roof across all models, new 5.7L Warm & Cold Smart Fridge, Space Chair and other high-end configurations.

After these design and configuration updates, the pre-sale price for the all-new L6 is as follows:

• Jimmy Choo Bespoke Limited Edition (76kWh): 234,900 RMB
• Jimmy Choo Bespoke Limited Edition (93kWh): 249,900 RMB
• Standard Edition (Max/Pro Max/Ultra): 219,900 RMB, 234,900 RMB, 269,900 RMB

However, a question arises: Will the cooperation with Jimmy Choo make the L6 too biased towards female users?

Jiao Qiao, Head of Product Marketing at IM Motors, responded to this question at the communication meeting. "Actually, from a looks perspective, this car appeals to both men and women, from an aesthetic perspective, it fits female aesthetics." But he admitted the Bespoke Limited Edition "will definitely be very much liked by girls".

However, IM L6 has a next move. "It might be a special edition with Jimmy Choo today, tomorrow it might go with Sean Lee (Li Hongsheng) to play on mountain roads and drift, the day after tomorrow there might be more surprises for everyone."

Li Hongsheng mentioned by Jiao Qiao is a veteran car collector, former drift racer, and founder of Purist Group. At the upcoming Chengdu Auto Show, IM Motors will join hands with Li Hongsheng to bring more "heavyweight surprises". This is regarded as a signal for IM Motors to appeal to males and performance enthusiasts.

Design Breakthrough + Tech Specs Stacking + Continuous Co-creation — IM Motors' strategy is to use the L6 to break existing circles, attracting young people who "don't want to clash".

02

Xu Yin Returns to Country to Take Over Domestic Business

In June, IM Motors' internal underwent an important personnel adjustment. Xu Yin was transferred from Thailand back to the domestic, appointed as Deputy General Manager, taking over domestic marketing and sales business.

Xu Yin is a veteran of SAIC Group, working in the group for nearly 20 years. Around 2020 when SAIC began to develop overseas business vigorously, he went to Thailand to be responsible for SAIC product sales work in Thailand.

Two months after returning, Xu Yin deeply felt the fierceness of domestic market competition. "During the time I came back, I deeply felt the fierce competition in the Chinese market." Two weeks ago, he held a market research with national dealer partners, there were two numbers that made him "shocked":

One is rumored that 527 new cars were released in the first half of the year; the second is the market declined overall by 20% from January to July.

IM Motors is obviously facing huge sales pressure. However, Xu Yin neither expressed pessimism nor set bold promises. He believed that instead of worrying about sales targets, it is better to focus energy on the product and service end.

"I might currently pay too much attention to our user feelings, seeing some services of this car, including its exterior, including the pre-sale price we just released, we are also very sincere."

All-new IM L6 Interior

This veteran returning from Thailand is still adapting to the domestic competition rhythm. His strategy is: not discussing specific sales targets, but winning consumers with product power and service. "If they are satisfied, we also have such great potential and such cheap prices, I believe sales will follow naturally."

03

New Personnel and Product Cycle

Reviewing IM Motors' recent dynamics, a series of personnel changes have already occurred.

Xu Yin revealed at the communication meeting that IM Motors Co-CEO Liu Tao no longer leads domestic marketing and sales, and is specially responsible for overseas market operations.

However, there is no news yet indicating a change in Liu Tao's position. At the July 16 IM LS9 Hyper launch event, it was still Liu Tao leading the launch event.

Liu Tao at the IM LS9 Hyper launch event

Xu Yin's Deputy General Manager position was also disclosed "conveniently" at the product launch event.

Additionally, IM Motors' CMO Li Weimeng might also have a position change.

On June 10, Leapion exclusively reported on IM Motors' personnel adjustment: Li Weimeng no longer serves as CMO, transferred to a job responsible for AI-related business. This news was subsequently followed up by multiple media outlets.

Li Weimeng has rich user operations experience. She worked at OnStar for nearly 6 years, then joined NIO to be responsible for the development and construction of NIO APP and user community. In 2020 she joined IM Motors from NIO, she served as Executive Director of Software and User Multi-Point Touchpoints. In June 2024, IM Motors established the CMO position for the first time, Li Weimeng became the first CMO, responsible for domestic marketing and communication business.

However, as of now, IM Motors official has not released any formal announcement on Li Weimeng's position change, nor announced the new CMO candidate.

In the first half of the year, IM Motors didn't launch many products. In the second half of the year, IM Motors has already launched LS9 Hyper, IM L6 and LS6 will welcome product upgrades, in October IM Motors LS8 all-electric version will be launched...

Although Xu Yin has been on the job for only 2 months, the bugle of the offensive has already sounded.

On August 10, IM Motors announced that the all-new IM L6 x Prof. Jimmy Choo Bespoke Limited Edition will be unveiled on August 18. On August 7, IM officially announced that Jimmy Choo, a Chinese-British footwear designer and recipient of the Order of the British Empire, has joined to serve as the bespoke design master.

Jimmmy Choo, originally from Meixian, Guangdong, received the Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire from the British Queen in 2003, was awarded the Datuk title in Malaysia in 2004, was recognized as one of the World's Outstanding Chinese Designers in 2011, and won the Cultural and Artistic award at the 'Influential Chinese People Ceremony' in 2012. Based on the teaser posters, the Bespoke Limited Edition will feature a multi-faceted finely polished 'Crystal Badge', a crystal camera cover, 'Dream Blue' precision-sprayed brake calipers, and 40 years of pearl and shell craftsmanship.