AsianFin -- IM Motors, the premium electric vehicle brand wholly owned by SAIC Motor, remains confident about meeting its ambitious 2025 sales target, even as its newly launched sibling brand Shangjie—co-developed with Huawei Technologies—gains traction in China’s fast-evolving EV market.

“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,” Li Weimeng, IM’s chief marketing officer, told Yicai in a recent interview.

Li admitted that market challenges remain but stressed that IM expects momentum to pick up in the second half of the year, when sales of pure electric vehicles traditionally accelerate. “We are optimistic about achieving our target because the third and fourth quarters are typically the peak seasons for EV demand,” he said.

To stay competitive, IM recently lowered prices on its lineup, a move that coincided with soaring pre-orders for Shangjie, the co-branded venture SAIC and Huawei launched in April. While Shangjie’s popularity has raised questions about possible brand overlap, IM insists it will continue to occupy the top tier of SAIC’s electric vehicle strategy.