Meet SAIC Motors' New Premium Electric Vehicle Brand Zhiji Auto
Zhiji IM sedan launching in 2021
As electrification drives the convergence of traditional manufacturers and big Tech, SAIC Motors has announced a joint venture with Alibaba Group and Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Group to release electric vehicles under a new brand dubbed “IM”, which also signifies “Zhiji Motor” in Mandarin Chinese. “IM” stands for “Intelligence in Motion”, and will join the suite of brands in SAIC Motors’ stable including Roewe Motors, MG, Maxis and SAIC.
The company has yet to release detailed information about the future models under the “IM” brand, but has announced that it is working on a luxury sedan to rival NIO’s new ET7. The “IM” sedan measures 5,000mm long, 1,960mm wide and 1,485mm tall; similar to NIO’s upcoming sedan. Electrive reports that Liu Tao, the co-CEO of Zhiji Automobile, said in an interview with Chinese media that the IM brand was there to “kill” Tesla.
Sources have stated that the sedan will feature energy dense batteries from Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), autonomous driving capabilities from Nvidia’s drive technology, and based on the released images, roof-mounted Lidar.
There will be 93 kWh or 115 kWh options, which will be available for order in Q2 2021. In 2022, Zhiji Motor will launch a luxury SUV.
With murmurings around a partnership between Apple and Hyundai, this joint venture makes a lot of sense; SAIC will focus on manufacturing — something it obviously excels at as China’s largest automaker — and Alibaba will hold responsibility for AI technology and the data side of vehicles.
More information is expected as April’s Shanghai Auto Show nears;
Source: Gasgoo