IM Motors LS8 SUV Draws 8,000 Orders in One Hour

IM Motors did not tiptoe into the premium SUV fight. It came in swinging. On Thursday, the SAIC-backed EV brand launched the LS8, a mid-to-large-size extended-range SUV aimed squarely at buyers who want electric driving most of the time, but without the usual range anxiety hanging over long trips.

Priced from 249,800 yuan, or about $36,600, the LS8 landed with a number that clearly hit the sweet spot. Within 60 minutes, IM Motors said the model had already pulled in 8,000 firm orders. That is the kind of first-hour response automakers dream about.

Deliveries begin on April 20, and the LS8 now enters a crowded field of fresh challengers, including the Leapmotor D19 and Volkswagen’s ID. UNYX 08, both of which debuted the same day.

A smaller sibling to the flagship LS9

The LS8 is the newest member of IM Motors’ extended-range family, and it reads like a more compact take on the flagship LS9 that arrived late last year. The proportions are generous either way. It stretches 5,085 mm in length, 2,000 mm in width, and 1,807 mm in height, with a 3,060 mm wheelbase.

All four trims are extended-range electric vehicles, priced at 249,800 yuan, 269,800 yuan, 279,800 yuan, and 299,800 yuan. Under the skin, the LS8 uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine as a range extender and rides on an 800-volt ultra-fast charging architecture, a setup that should help it stay competitive in a market where charging speed matters almost as much as battery size.

The dual-motor all-wheel-drive version comes with a 66-kWh ternary lithium battery pack. IM Motors says that gives the SUV up to 430 kilometers of pure electric range. With a full tank and a fully charged battery, the total driving range climbs to an impressive 1,605 kilometers.

That is a serious figure. The kind that turns a family SUV into a genuine long-distance machine.

Inside, the LS8 is offered in both five-seat and six-seat layouts, which should widen its appeal among buyers looking for flexibility. It also comes standard with IM Motors’ Lingxi digital chassis, including steer-by-wire technology and rear-wheel steering. The company says the combination makes the nearly five-meter-long SUV unusually agile, with a turning radius of just 4.85 meters in city conditions.

The tech story continues at the top end of the spec sheet. For assisted driving, the LS8 integrates a 520-channel LiDAR unit and an Nvidia Thor processor, giving it the kind of hardware stack increasingly expected in premium Chinese EVs.

The cabin is equally ambition-driven. IM Motors has fitted the LS8 with its IM Ultra Agent 1.0 interactive system, which uses Alibaba’s Qwen AI model to shape the in-car experience. That places the SUV directly in the middle of the industry’s newest battleground, where the smart cockpit is becoming almost as important as powertrain performance.

And that battle is heating up fast. Local reports yesterday said ByteDance is also working on a deeply customized smart cockpit solution based on its Doubao AI model, in collaboration with Seres Group. The message is hard to miss: the car interior is now one of the most valuable pieces of digital real estate around.

The LS8 also marks another step in IM Motors’ push deeper into the premium market, following the launch of the larger LS9 extended-range SUV in November 2025. With strong early demand, a long driving range, and a growing list of high-end tech features, the LS8 is clearly designed to do more than just join the segment. It wants to make noise in it.

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