(Yicai) Sept. 15 -- IM Motors, the premium electric vehicle brand wholly owned by SAIC Motor, remains confident it will meet its ambitious 2025 sales target despite the rising popularity of Shangjie, SAIC’s new co-branded venture with Huawei Technologies, according to IM's chief marketing officer.

“IM is definitely SAIC’s most high-end new energy vehicle brand, and it is also SAIC Motor’s number one project in the new energy field. This will never change,” CMO Li Weimeng said to Yicai in a recent interview.

Li acknowledged that while challenges remain, IM is optimistic about reaching its annual target, as the peak season for pure electric vehicle sales typically falls in the third and fourth quarters.

IM recently lowered prices amid a surge in pre-orders for Shangjie, a co-brand SAIC launched with telecom and automotive software giant Huawei in April.

Li said that with the ramp-up of two major new IM models -- the LS6, which now includes an extended-range variant, and the all-new LS9 set to debut in the fourth quarter -- sales are tracking in line with the company’s forecast made at the beginning of the year.

However, IM faces an uphill climb. From January to August, the brand sold around 32,000 vehicles, less than one-third of its 100,000-unit annual goal. August alone accounted for nearly 6,570 deliveries.

IM is embracing China’s growing trend toward extended-range electric vehicles. Sellers of mid-to-large-sized EVs have launched nearly 20 new extended-range models this year.

The LS6, which accounts for over half of IM’s total sales, began offering an extended-range version for the first time this month. The starting price has also been cut to below CNY200,000 (USD28,074), a drop of over CNY40,000 (USD5,615).

Competition is heating up as Shangjie launched its first model, the H5, last month. Li noted that the IM LS6 and Shangjie H5 SUV differ in size, market positioning, and customer base, but declined to comment on whether IM might cooperate with Huawei in the future.

The Shangjie H5 has quickly captured consumer attention. Pre-sales began on Aug. 25 with prices ranging from CNY169,800 to CNY209,800. According to Shangjie’s official WeChat account, the model has already garnered over 100,000 reservations.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine