Following 40 years of rapid advancement in China’s automotive industry, the field of intelligent electric vehicles has shown a remarkable growth momentum in recent years. Particularly, since 2017 when the per capita GDP reached the milestone of nearly ten thousand dollars, despite a brief downturn in the whole vehicle market, the intelligent electric vehicle industry started a new growth cycle in 2020. Against this backdrop, “IM”, brand of intelligent vehicles, through the launch of its three models, most notably the performance of the LS6, has become a significant driving force in industry growth.
As an integral part of the domestic large-scale auto manufacturer SAIC Motor Corporation, the “IM” brand enjoys comprehensive support in technology, capital, and personnel. Since its debut, the LS6 under this brand has achieved positive month-on-month sales growth for five consecutive months, reflecting the brand’s competitiveness in the market and consumer recognition.
In terms of intelligent technology, the performance of “IM” automobiles is notably distinguished. The brand not only obtained the first batch of L3 autonomous driving testing licenses in China, but also successfully opened IM AD aerial navigation assisted driving (NOA) in 333 cities nationwide, covering a track over 406,000 kilometers. Looking ahead to 2023, “IM” plans to introduce the urban commuting mode and mapless city NOA technology, aiming to cover 100 cities nationwide comprehensively.
In the intelligent cockpit field, “IM” introduced a full-frame digital cockpit screen, equipped with advanced features like comprehensive digital visual blindness compensation and one-click AI auto-driving. The IMOS operating system, based on Linux and Ali OS, went through 13 functionality iterations over the year, reflecting the brand’s persistent effort in software development and user experience enhancement.
In terms of international market, the “IM” brand plans to launch new products L7 and LS7 in Mexico, Middle East, South America, and Southeast Asia by 2024, and plans to launch the LS6 and L6 in more markets by 2025. With the overseas marketing network of SAIC, “IM” is actively preparing to enter the overseas market, promoting intelligent new energy vehicles.
The upcoming L6, set for debut at the Beijing Auto Show, and the four models scheduled to appear at the Geneva Auto Show, will all adopt the latest technology from SAIC. This not only demonstrates the results of “IM” brand’s product development but also indicates the brand’s strategic layout and potential for future development in the global automotive market.
This article is a translation by AI of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.