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.

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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

Three days before the opening of this auto show, the all-new IM L6 officially started pre-sales, and it seems there was no doubt it would become the exhibition's "key word". However, IM Motors unexpectedly released another "big move".

On the first day of the 2026 Chengdu International Auto Show, IM Motors showcased its full range of products. Among them, the high-end limited edition and special edition models of the all-new IM L6, which just started pre-sales, appeared together, naturally occupying the "Center Stage" of the booth. Even more importantly, the brand also released a new product strategy on the day -- the "NEXT·2028" plan. Next, we take everyone to experience it on site.

First, let's look at the "NEXT·2028" strategy heavily released by the brand today: As the core of this plan, IM Motors will achieve a comprehensive upgrade of the whole vehicle full domain experience with three technical pillars. Specifically, it includes SAIC Group's latest NEO powertrain architecture, a full-by-wire chassis with aviation-grade safety, and the IM Claw agent that "handles everything with one sentence".

It is reported that all subsequent IM models will be standard equipped with the above flagship technologies, allowing users to enjoy comprehensive advanced intelligent technology experience two to three years in advance. Among them, the all-new NEO powertrain architecture will build an electric pure "King of Energy Efficiency", the full-by-wire chassis will lead users to step into the aviation-grade safety era in all dimensions, and the full-domain intelligent upgrade will truly realize "full-domain doing it for you".

As the heavy landing model of the "NEXT·2028" strategy, the all-new IM LS6 will be officially released in September. It is reported that this car will be fully equipped with the above flagship technologies, and open the aviation-grade safety era of 200,000 Yuan level family SUVs, and will also be equipped with the "Super First Class Cabin" built with the aviation homogeneous concept, the brand even calls it the mobile "Land A320".

Next, let's look at the just pre-sold all-new IM L6: As the most eye-catching version among them, the PROF. Jimmy Choo high-end limited edition jointly created by the brand and senior designer Jimmy Choo owns three aesthetic symbols, including Starry Crystal Glass Series Trim Pieces, "Bespoke Blue" Silk-textured Pearlescent Leather with Exclusive Signature Calipers, and multiple high-end exclusive signatures on the whole car.

Entering the car, Crystal Glass, Silk-textured Pearlescent Leather, High-end Exclusive Signatures three elements can be seen everywhere, improving cabin quality from visual and tactile two levels. Enabled by Qualcomm 8295 chip, the all-new IM L6's car machine interaction is smooth and responsive; at the same time, the IM AD 3.0 system jointly developed with Momenta can realize various advanced driver assistance functions.

As for performance aspects, the high-end limited edition also provides 76kWh and 93kWh two battery configurations to choose from, the latter's CLTC range can reach 850km. Under the empowerment of the all-new NEO Hurricane motor, the new car's "0-100" acceleration time only requires 2.74s -- based on this, the Sean Lee special edition model appearing with North American driver Li Hongsheng takes the potential directly to the max.

"Che Yi Quan" Viewpoint: Recent information shows that the internal personnel layout of IM Motors has been adjusted. While Xu Yin, who was transferred from Thailand to China in June, served as Deputy General Manager and took over domestic marketing and sales business, IM Co-CEO Liu Tao then turned to be responsible for overseas market operations -- change is happening, we can wait and see on IM Motors' next trend.

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.

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.