- The LS8, starting at 249,800 yuan ($36,600), secured 8,000 firm orders within 60 minutes.
- Deliveries of the LS8 will begin on April 20, vying for share in the fiercely competitive premium EV segment.
IM Motors, the electric vehicle (EV) arm of SAIC Motor, officially launched the LS8 mid-to-large-size extended-range SUV on Thursday, adding to a recent flurry of premium model roll-outs in China.
The LS8 starts at 249,800 yuan ($36,600), a price considered competitive, which led to 8,000 firm orders for the model within 60 minutes.
Deliveries of the vehicle will commence on April 20. It will compete with SUV models such as the Leapmotor D19 and Volkswagen's ID. UNYX 08, which were launched on the same day.
The mid-to-large-size model comes in four variants, all of which are extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), priced at 249,800 yuan, 269,800 yuan, 279,800 yuan, and 299,800 yuan, respectively.
As the latest addition to IM Motors' extended-range lineup, the LS8 is widely seen as a smaller version of the flagship IM LS9 launched late last year. It measures 5,085 mm in length, 2,000 mm in width, and 1,807 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,060 mm.
The LS8 has a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine as the range extender and is built on an 800-volt ultra-fast charging platform architecture.
Its dual-motor four-wheel-drive variant is equipped with a 66-kWh ternary lithium battery pack, providing the vehicle with a maximum pure electric range of up to 430 kilometers.
With a full tank and a fully charged battery, the new model can achieve a maximum combined range of up to 1,605 kilometers.
Shortly after the launch event last night, IM Motors announced on Weibo that the LS8 had garnered over 8,000 firm orders within 60 minutes of its market debut, indicating strong initial market reception for the family-oriented vehicle.
Available in five- and six-seat configurations, the LS8 comes standard with the Lingxi digital chassis, which includes a steer-by-wire system, as well as a rear-wheel steering system that is claimed to significantly enhance the driving experience.
The advanced integration of these chassis technologies allows the five-meter-long vehicle to achieve a turning radius of just 4.85 meters in urban traffic conditions.
In terms of assisted driving hardware, the vehicle integrates a 520-channel LiDAR and an Nvidia Thor chip with high computing power.
Inside the cabin, the LS8 is equipped with the IM Ultra Agent 1.0 interactive system, which incorporates Alibaba's Qwen AI model to elevate the in-car interaction experience.
With the rapid development of AI, vehicle cabins are increasingly becoming a target for tech giants. ByteDance is developing a deeply customized smart cockpit solution based on its Doubao AI model and is working closely with automaker Seres Group, according to a local media report yesterday.
The LS8 marks another major market expansion move for IM Motors, following the launch of the larger LS9 extended-range SUV in November 2025.
($1 = 6.8244 yuan)
