Zhiji (智己), marketed internationally as IM Motors ("Intelligence in Motion"), is a premium electric-vehicle brand established in December 2020 as a joint venture between SAIC Motor (54 percent), Alibaba Group (18 percent), and Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Development Co. (18 percent). The brand debuted in January 2021 with ambitions to fuse SAIC's automotive manufacturing expertise with Alibaba's cloud computing and artificial-intelligence capabilities. Its lineup comprises four production models: the L7 executive sedan (deliveries from June 2022), the LS7 mid-size SUV, the LS6 crossover that collected over 25,000 pre-orders before its October 2023 launch, and the L6 mid-size sedan introduced at the 2024 Geneva Motor Show. IM Motors vehicles feature high-energy-density silicon-doped lithium-supplement battery cells and advanced driver-assistance systems powered by SAIC's intelligent-driving stack. The brand is expanding beyond China into Mexico, the Middle East, South America, and Southeast Asia, positioning itself as a technology-forward competitor to Tesla and NIO in the premium smart-EV segment.
