MG’s luxurious BMW i4 rival could launch Down Under
Intelligent Mobility Motors, known as IM Motors, has just revealed its answer to the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4 – the L6 luxury sedan – at this year’s Geneva motor show.
The company, which is a luxury subsidiary of China’s SAIC Motor, currently only sells vehicles in China. It has also just pledged to enter the European market in 2025.
MG Motor Australia and New Zealand CEO Peter Ciao told CarExpert last August he is keen in bringing the LS6 electric ‘coupe’ SUV Down Under with familiar MG badging instead.
“I’m still working on this and negotiating with the factory, but I trust the MG brand is capable of selling a wide range of vehicles across a wide range of prices, up to and above $100,000. I don’t think that’s a challenge,” said MG Motor Australia and New Zealand CEO Peter Ciao last August.
MG’s luxurious BMW i4 rival could launch Down Under
“In terms of luxury cars under the MG brand in Australia, I have three options, but my aim is to bring the luxury LS6 here first.”
It’s unclear if the IM L6 is part of Mr Ciao’s plans to bring luxurious MG-badged vehicles Down Under at this stage.
Powertrain details are yet to be disclosed, but IM Motors claims the L6 can accelerate from 0-100km/h in under three seconds. If this claim holds up, it places the L6 line-ball with the Porsche Taycan Turbo.
The related LS6 SUV sibling of the L6 utilises a pair of dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains, with the more powerful of the two pumping out 379kW of power. That car is claimed to complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.48 seconds, with a top speed of 252km/h.
The L6 is available with two different battery packs – a lithium-ion battery of undisclosed capacity giving the car a WLTP range upwards of 600km, and a solid-state battery of undisclosed capacity delivering a WLTP tested range upwards of 800km.
Autocar reports the L6 features 875V electrical architecture, which allows DC fast-charging rates at up to 396kW. This exceeds the Porsche Taycan which is limited to 350kW charging.
The interior of the L6 is reportedly nearly identical to its LS6 sibling according to Car News China. Inside, the LS6 has a steering yoke and screens that take up the full width of the dash. Mr Ciao has previously said he would like to see these features in Australian-specification cars.
LS7
IM Motors is a joint-venture (JV) between MG’s parent company SAIC Motor, Alibaba and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, which aims to produce upmarket electric vehicles (EV). The company delivered its first vehicle – the L7 large sedan – a year after its founding in 2020.
The company is best known for partnering with Audi last year on the iO Origin EV platform as the German marque suffers from delays to the Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) being developed by the Volkswagen Group.
Currently, the IM Motors lineup comprises the LS6 and LS7 SUVs and the L7 sedan. The latter two feature a chassis that has links to Formula 1, with tuning done in conjunction with Williams Advanced Engineering.
MORE: This is how MG plans to go after BMW – potentially in Australia