You’ll never guess the next brand bringing ground-breaking in-car tech to Australia as Chinese challengers circle the 2026 Tesla Model Y's FSD suite

Tesla and full self-driving are synonymous with each other - even if not always for the right reasons. But China’s IM Motors (which is sold locally by MG) is hoping to squeeze its own name into the conversation as it plots to bring its own autonomous technology to Australia in the near-future.

Speaking to CarsGuide, Steven Xu, IM Motors Region General Manager for Asia Pacific, said full self-driving is a key element of its Digital Chassis platform which helps to underpin the car's safety systems.

Currently, the brand is undertaking a real-world test in China, where a fleet of its cars are evaluating Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 autonomous technology on both highway and surface streets, which is a first for a Chinese trial.

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“Right now the Chinese government is supporting our company to do some tests,” Xu explained “So right now in China, we support the L2, L3 and L4 autonomous driving, and we run a robotaxi fleet team in the Shanghai Pudong airport.

“But when we go to the global market, that’s up to the regulation. For the next coming car, the new model, right now that is secret. We will let the car keep the ability to upgrade the autonomous driving system. But first [we have] the need to meet the European and Australian regulations.”

Xu explained that the Australian Government hasn’t allowed IM to bring its Level 3 autonomous driving technology, which includes LiDAR as well as cameras and sensors, to local roads due to restrictions. However, help appears to have come from an unlikely source.

“ I think the government first opened the door to Tesla, so we can follow,” Xu explained. “ Before the Tesla, we had no channel to talk to the government about whether we can use L2 plus. That's the reason [it isn’t available yet], it's not legal or not legal. We thank Tesla for first coming with the technology so we can follow.”

2026 IM LS6 (Chinese market version)

While Tesla relies only on cameras and sensors, Xu said IM Motors wants to introduce the next evolution of full self-driving technology in Australia. This means including LiDAR in addition to the cameras and sensors to ensure greater safety.

“The LiDAR is the double protection for the customer in the foggy weather, on the rainy day, it's maybe stronger than a pure visual [system]. We want to keep safety first, 100 per cent,” Xu said.

“We want the system more reliable and a hundred percent safe. That's why we chose the combination, even though we got the pure vision strategy.”

2026 IM LS7 (Chinese market version)

Xu wasn’t able to reveal when IM Motors’ new autonomous functionality would be in Australia, but given the need to add the LiDAR hardware it would likely come with the next-generation of models bound for local showrooms.

Seemingly a likely next addition for the brand is its range of luxury large SUVs in the form of the LS8 or LS9, which both can be equipped with LiDAR technology, and also are equipped with range-extender hybrid systems, unlike the rest of the brand's EV-focused range.

He also conceded there is also still work to be done on the legislative side to ensure that the iM Motors system complies with Australian laws and regulations which remains a work-in-progress for both governments and car makers.