IM Motors — SAIC Motor — Who's really behind Chinese cars

"eye-em Motors."

from 10K/month

IM Motors (智己, "Zhiji") is SAIC's premium EV project, launched in 2020 in partnership with Alibaba and the Shanghai Zhangjiang district government. From the start, the brand's mission was ambitious: prove that a state-owned auto giant could build premium EVs competitive with independent startups like NIO, not just mass-market models for the domestic market.

Distinguishing feature

IM Motors is a rare case of a major state-owned conglomerate launching a premium EV brand as a genuine standalone company with outside investors and its own tech agenda, not just a box-ticking sub-brand.