AITO brand announced an ambitious plan last year, aiming to achieve annual sales of 600,000 vehicles by 2024. To achieve this goal, the brand plans to launch and mass-produce the new model M8 this year, with an estimated four models on sale, further expanding the selection space of AITO products.

Recently, Thalys Automobile Co., Ltd. received authorization for a new design patent, attracting widespread attention both inside and outside the industry. This new model is expected to have a larger body size, with a square outline with rounded corners. The most striking feature is its circular headlamp cluster design, and it can be inferred from the fuel filler/charging port on both sides of the vehicle that the model is likely to offer an extended-range power system.

There are two front face designs for this new model, one with a circular light strip and the other with a "fang" structure on both sides. This diversified design strategy undoubtedly meets the aesthetic needs of different consumers. Industry insiders speculate that this may be the brand-new AITO M8, expected to be launched in the second half of this year.

 Photo from AITO official

Although the specific details of AITO M8 have not been announced, consumer expectations are already high. Many people hope that AITO M8 can become a "small version of AITO M9," as the headlamp design of AITO M9 looks more delicate, and consumers generally expect to purchase more delicately designed products at lower prices.

In terms of design, AITO M8 is similar to AITO M9. From the released spy shots, it adopts a similar front face design and through-type taillights, and even has the same light language programming function. This continuity in design gives AITO M8 a visual impression of being a "small version of AITO M9."

With the addition of AITO M8, the AITO brand's product line will be even richer, and competition with Lixiang Motors will become more direct. Currently, AITO M5, M7, and M9 are respectively benchmarked against Lixiang L6, L7, and L9, while M8 undoubtedly targets Lixiang L8. The launch of M8 will enable AITO to have corresponding competitive models in each market segment.

In terms of price, the estimated price range of AITO M8 may be between 300,000 and 450,000 yuan, with the entry-level price highly overlapping with that of Lixiang L8. Considering that AITO M8 will come standard with an advanced intelligent driving system, it can be further inferred that the top-of-the-line version will be slightly more expensive than Lixiang L8. With the influence of Huawei and AITO, Electric Car News believes that such a premium is expected.

Although the total sales volume of AITO brand is lower than that of Lixiang brand, the average transaction price per user of AITO is relatively high. After all, Lixiang's high-volume products are its entry-level models, Lixiang L7 and Lixiang L6, while AITO's sales base is the higher-end AITO M7 and AITO M9. The emergence of M8 can provide consumers with more choices and naturally become a new growth point for brand delivery.

The cooperation between Thalys and Huawei has provided strong technical support for the development of AITO brand. The joint goal set by both parties is to achieve an annual production and sales volume of 1 million units by 2026. Currently, AITO M7 and AITO M9 have become the mainstay of brand sales, and the addition of AITO M8 will undoubtedly inject new momentum into brand sales growth and may also become the biggest competitor to Lixiang Motors in the future.

Source: Leitech