Geely EX5 vs MG Im6

What's the difference?

You’re not alone if you’re struggling to grasp the sheer number of new names from China popping up in the Australian new-car market. There’s more than ten and the list is only growing.

Geely is yet another marque with an ambitious plan to break into Australia's top-10 auto brands. It might have a leg-up on rivals, though, because Geely has been dabbling in international marques for some time.

Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr are either majority or entirely owned by Geely, and the father brand — like Volkswagen in its eponymous group — therefore benefits from years of engineering know-how from other brands. Clever.

The first car launching here Australia is the EX5, an electric mid-size SUV pitched at families. Think of it as a direct rival to the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV5 and XPeng G6 but (yet unconfirmed) sharp pricing might see buyers cross-shopping with Toyota RAV4s and Mazda CX-5s.  

Geely even proclaims Australian-tuned suspension, something Ford, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia have used to huge success. But does that mean the 2025 Geely EX5 is top-10 material? A spin in an early production model should give us some answers.

Meet the IM6 Performance, “presented by MG”. And that last bit’s important, because while it’s marketed and sold by the Chinese mainstream player, it really is unlike any other MG going around.

Think of it as like a Lexus to Toyota, or an Audi to Volkswagen, with the Chinese brand going premium, and seemingly making a direct play for Tesla’s fan base. How so? Well, there’s only two models in IM line-up (sound familiar?) with the IM6 a rival for the Model Y, and the IM5 (which we’ve also tested) a competitor to the Model 3.

The IM6 is spacious, pretty sumptuous and ridiculously fast. And it offers up some features I’ve only ever really seen in high-end German metal. But it’s also got some quirks.

So, can MG run with the big dogs of the premium car world with the IM6 Performance? And should Tesla be worried? Let’s find out.