IM Motors opened pre-sales for its redesigned LS6 on September 10, 2026, and the family SUV now carries a full by-wire chassis, steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire and four-wheel steering, as standard equipment across all three trims. Pricing runs from 209,900 CNY (c. $31,280) to 264,900 CNY (c. $39,480), and IM Motors says the car logged more than 8,000 refundable deposits in the first 45 minutes. The company is positioning the LS6 as a direct alternative to Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model Y buyers in China's crowded 200,000-CNY family SUV segment, with a formal on-sale date set for September 23, 2026.IM Motors, a joint venture built around SAIC Motor (SHA: 600104), describes the new chassis architecture as following a "land-based A320" philosophy, borrowing the dual-redundant control logic of Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft. The move is part of the automaker's NEXT.2028 strategy, which aims to push technology once reserved for flagship or robotaxi-grade vehicles down into mainstream, family-priced products. The outgoing LS6 launched in September 2025 at 197,900 CNY for its base pure-electric trim had drawn roughly 10,000 firm orders in 27 minutes.The timing tracks a regulatory shift. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a revised national standard, GB17675-2025, in December 2025, deleting the previous mandatory requirement for a mechanical steering connection and formally clearing the way for steer-by-wire on production cars, with the rule taking full effect July 1, 2026. NIO's ET9 flagship sedan was the first mass-produced vehicle to ship with the technology under the outgoing framework, but IM Motors is positioning the LS6 as the first to bring it to a mainstream, sub-300,000-CNY family SUV. The steer-by-wire system at the center of the redesign traces its lineage to IM's Level 4 autonomous test fleet and is built to an ASIL D functional-safety rating, with a claimed failure probability below 10 FIT, or one failure per 100 million operating hours. IM Motors says the system carries triple redundancy: dual electrical and communication backups plus a rear-wheel-steering failsafe that can bring the car to a controlled stop if the primary steering path is lost. Drivers can also choose between three selectable steering-feel profiles.A SynVector torque-vectoring system coordinates drive, braking and steering across all four wheels with a claimed 20-millisecond response time from command to actuation. Combined with the four-wheel steering, IM Motors says the LS6 achieves a 4.49-meter turning radius, tight for a mid-size SUV. The same by-wire architecture already appears on the IM L6 sedan, which launched August 28, 2026, starting at 199,900 CNY, suggesting the technology is becoming a company-wide standard rather than a one-model showcase.The new-generation LS6's four-wheel steering and by-wire chassis are standard across all three trims. (IM Motors)On the powertrain side, all three trims use an 800V NEO three-electric architecture paired with a redesigned NEO Hurricane motor that IM says improves efficiency by 2.8% and cuts weight by 8% versus the previous generation. Charging tops out at 396 kW, adding roughly 500 km (311 miles) of range in 15 minutes, and IM Motors claims a minimum energy consumption of 12.7 kWh per 100 km. The battery pack is also engineered to charge reliably at temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius.The three trims are the Max at 209,900 CNY with a 76 kWh battery, 650 km (404 miles) of CLTC range and rear-wheel drive doing 0-100 km/h in 6.4 seconds; the Pro Max at 229,900 CNY (c. $34,260) with a 93 kWh pack, 782 km (486 miles) of range and the same layout tuned to 5.4 seconds; and the Ultra at 264,900 CNY with a 103 kWh battery, 750 km (466 miles) of range and all-wheel drive that IM Motors rates at 3.48 seconds to 100 km/h. A 2,000 CNY early reservation converts into a 5,000 CNY cash voucher against a final purchase. Inside, the LS6 gets a 27.1-inch MiniLED dashboard display with a "rainy night mode 2.0" graphics setting, a driver's seat with 4D mechanical massage, and a Danish Bang & Olufsen audio system that IM Motors calls a segment exclusive at this price. The cabin also adds independent rear climate control with its own display and a built-in refrigerated compartment. Buyers can pick from six exterior colors and two interior schemes, described as Knight Black and Elephant Grey-Beige. Driving assistance runs on a Momenta physics-based AI world model, with IM's urban navigation-assist feature offered free during the pre-sale window and free for life to the first wave of owners.The LS6's rear cabin includes a reclining massage seat, its own display and a Bang & Olufsen audio system. (IM Motors)The car itself grew slightly versus its predecessor, measuring 4,937 mm (194.4 in) long on a 2,960 mm wheelbase, ten millimeters longer than the previous LS6. That puts it squarely in Model Y territory on size, which is precisely the point: Tesla's China-built Model Y currently opens at roughly 249,900 CNY (c. $37,240) for the rear-wheel-drive base trim, and Tesla just introduced a refreshed Model Y Performance on September 11, one day after IM's pre-sales opened, starting at 369,000 CNY (c. $54,990) with a 659 km CLTC range and a 3.5-second 0-100 km/h time. That comparison is where IM Motors is aiming its pitch. The LS6 Ultra's claimed 3.48-second sprint edges the new Model Y Performance's 3.5 seconds while starting more than 100,000 CNY below it, and none of Tesla's Model Y variants offer steer-by-wire or four-wheel steering at any price. Xiaomi (HKG: 1810) is also active in the same bracket, with its dual-motor YU7 GT starting at 389,900 CNY (c. $58,110), leaving IM's base Max trim as the cheapest way into a by-wire chassis by a wide margin.Whether Tesla or Xiaomi respond by pushing their own steering hardware further, or whether by-wire chassis technology simply becomes an expected feature at this price point over the next product cycle, is now the open question for China's family SUV buyers to watch.Conversion rate: 1 USD = 6.71 CNY as of September 11, 2026.