IM News

Here's what ANCAP has to say on a range of trendy but potentially dangerous new car features which were just banned in China.

MG’s luxury brand, IM Motors, will ditch its all-electric beginning to embrace the hottest new technology on the market.Plug-in hybrids have become the fastest growing powertrain type in Australia, as both car makers and customers take advantage of its fuel efficiency benefits. Despite launching with the all-electric IM5 sedan and IM6 SUV, IM Motors has confirmed it will bring its range extended electric vehicles to Australia later this year.Range extended electric vehicles, or Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) as IM prefers to refer to them as, combine a bigger battery than a conventional hybrid and use the internal combustion engine as a generator to charge the battery rather than drive the wheels directly.Speaking to CarsGuide, Steven Xu, IM Motors Region General Manager for Asia Pacific, confirmed that this new tech is headed our way as part of an expanded line-up.“ We have more models, and different energy styles,” Xu said. “I think the EREV definitely, the extended range . So not only pure electric, the , like just a kind of hybrid. “We have very big battery and a very big tank, and the combined range is over 1000km. It's more suitable for the Australian scenario.”In China, the IM REEV system pairs a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with two electric motors and a sizable 65.9kWh battery, which is bigger than some fully electric cars.In the LS9 large SUV, the company claims the range-extender can provide up to 308km of pure-electric driving and more than 1500km of total driving range; although that is based on the more lenient China Light-duty Test Cycle (CLTC), rather than the WLTP benchmark. Fuel consumption is rated at just 2.0L/100km despite being a big luxury SUV, so the economic benefits of a range extended EV are obvious.While Xu wouldn’t reveal which models will debut the technology in Australia, only saying: “I think we will release the information later.”However, the LS8 and LS9 SUVs seem like the obvious candidates, as both are available with IM’s range-extender powertrain in China and the addition of two larger SUVs would strengthen the brand’s position as a premium brand in this market.The tech-laden LS9 is the flagship of the range, available with a three-row, six-seat layout for maximum comfort. Its powertrain features a front motor making 165kW and the two rear motors producing 195kW each, while the engine is capable of producing 114kW to power the battery. According to information from China, the LS8 features the same 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor on each axle. In China it’s available with either a 52.1kWh or 65.9kWh battery, which provide either 268km or 335km of electric-only driving range (on the CLTC cycle).

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.“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 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's not legal or not legal. We thank Tesla for first coming with the technology so we can follow.”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 . 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.” 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.

IM, the luxury arm of MG’s parent company SAIC Motor, has revealed details of its flagship LS9 Hyper large SUV.The nearly five-and-a-half meter long luxury hybrid SUV pairs a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with, not two, but three electric motors in a range-extender set-up (where the engine has no connection to the wheels but is used purely as a generator for the battery). It has enormous power figures with the front motor producing 165kW and the two rear motors producing 195kW each, while the engine is capable of producing 114kW to power the battery. The plug-in hybrid LS9 is equipped with a 65.9kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) battery pack, which grants it up to 308km of pure electric driving range, according to the more lenient CLTC testing procedure.It is also equipped with a fully independent four-wheel electric steering system with the wheels able to turn a total 24 degrees, bringing its turning radius down to just 4.95 meters, less than the total length of the vehicle.It is also equipped with dual-chamber adjustable-height air suspension, which has 150mm of travel, and features a new regenerative braking system that can allow for 100 per cent energy recovery.It features the brand’s latest design language with LED strips front and rear, as well as between 20 and 22-inch wheels. Inside, it scores a dash-spanning tri-screen layout, which measures a total of 27.1-inches, with a separate passenger screen measuring 15.6-inches on its own.The massive IM9 is a three-row SUV, although it is offered in China as a six-seater rather than the more prevalent seven-seat layout usually seen in Australia.The seats can fold fully flat, and IM claims the LS9 has an 86 per cent usable interior space.The details on the LS9 Hyper model come after the brand recently revealed the smaller LS8, which has a similar approach to its styling and performance.Chinese automakers are pushing into the space usually occupied by the Range Rover or Range Rover Sport, Volvo XC90, BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS.IM’s LS8 and LS9 will face off in China against a wide array of rivals, including the Leapmotor D16, Denza’s D9, Zeekr’s 8X, as well as an upcoming flagship SUV from GWM.The explosion of activity in this large luxury SUV space has also caused BYD to delay its incoming Tang 9 flagship in the same category as it seeks to improve the model to stay ahead of its competitors.SAIC’s luxury IM arm is sold via MG in Australia and it currently offers two models, the LS5 and LS6 electric sedan and SUV.

Audi’s China-only brand AUDI has just debuted its next vehicle in concept form — the E SUV.Audi is living a double life releasing cars you’ve never seen nor heard of in China under its AUDI brand. Yes, all uppercased and without any sign of the familiar four rings. It’s been a massive success, so far. When AUDI launched the E5 Sportback in September, the company received 10,153 orders within the first 30 minutes of the books opening. Impressive even by Chinese standards.Now AUDI is offering a taste of its follow up act for China with the E SUV Concept, which was unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show over the weekend.The E SUV Concept is an SUV version of the E5 Sportback, which is expected to be formally named the AUDI E8 SUV when it goes into production.The E SUV Concept shares similar styling to the E5, with its signature giant LED trapezoidal lighting from and rear, but brings its own flavour with an SUV coupe design.Industry publication Car News China reports that the E8 will also use the same Advanced Digitised Platform (ADP) as the E5 and also use tech from Audi’s joint venture partner SAIC’s IM Motors brand.Car News China predicts the top grade E8 will be equipped with 800V architecture, along with a 109kWh battery with a range of up to 700km (CLTC).Single-motor rear and dual motor all-wheel drive variants will be available with the latter producing a combined 500kW with an estimated 0-100km/h sprint coming in under five seconds.We don't know what the cabin of the concept looks like, it makes sense to assume the interior is much like the E5 Sportback with an expansive curved screen that traverses the dash of a minimalist but luxurious looking cabin.The Chinese launch of the E8 is expected in early 2026. As for when it comes to Australia, unfortunately that's very unlikely to happen. The closest Australians can get to driving and Audi E8 or E5 is through one of IM Motors products currently being sold in Australia. IM has arrived in Australia as a luxury sub brand of MG. The current line-up includes the IM5 sedan and IM6 SUV. The top-of-the-range IM6 Performance comes in at $80,990 and comes standard with a 100kWh battery with up to 505km of range, dual motors for all-wheel drive making 572kW and 702Nm, and 800V architecture.  

Four months after taking the wraps off its ultra-luxury, large three-row LS9 SUV, MG’s premium IM sub-brand has confirmed domestic pricing for its hybrid flagship.

Just as MG’s premium ‘IM’ brand has launched in Australia, the model it’s likely to sell in the greatest volume has been given a hefty update and a new hybrid range-extender (EREV) in its home market.

IM Motors has an ace up its sleeve.Officially called 'IM presented by MG Motors' in Australia — yes, it’s a mouthful — it is launching here with a pair of electric models, the IM5 sedan and IM6 SUV.They are competitively priced — starting at $60,990 drive-away and rising to $80,990 — and are packed with hi-tech features such as super-fast charging, 20-speaker stereo, crab mode that allows the car to drive diagonally, four-wheel steering and plenty of self-driving features such as auto parking.A 100kW battery in the more expensive version pushes max driving range to more than 650km in the IM5 and more than 550km in the IM6. Even the entry-level grade’s 75kWh battery delivers a respectable 450km or 490km range in the SUV and sedan respectively.There is something that will have the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y shaking in their boots, as the IMs have something no one else can match, according to MG Australia boss Peter Ciao.“This car is still expensive because every dollar is spent on the chassis. The digital chassis is an innovative technology,” he said.The digital chassis is said to integrate advanced hardware such as rear-wheel steering, electronic dampers, air suspension and electric drive to manage acceleration, braking, steering, and damping in a unified manner. It makes applications such as crab mode, that allows the vehicle to drive at a six degree angle to get out of tricky spots, auto park functions in 90-degree and parallel parking situations.The four-wheel steering, air suspension and adaptable suspension are claimed to improve the drive experience on the go, smoothing out the ride and sharpening the steering through the bends.“I can guarantee you never met any car in this market with this performance,” said Ciao.“At IM we are focused on the drive performance, very very focused on the drive. That’s a key point of difference.”The IM5 is so dynamically sharp that Ciao claimed the IM5 holds the record for the moose test, which is a high-speed swerve and avoid test. The IM5 completed the test at more than 90km/h, which is more than any other vehicle to date. Many big name brands have failed this with some vehicles even flipping over. The IM's four-wheel steering is one of the key factors that allow it to change direction with such poise at that speed.Ciao said IM is different from other recent premium Chinese electric car brands such as Zeekr and Xpeng.Those other brands, he said, try to balance drive performance with value and fit out, delivering a good deal. The IM cars on the other hand are a different beast, with the engineering and drive experience a focus and far superior to others in the price range, according to Ciao.Ciao also said the brand is already exploring how to improve the product for next years update.“We have already discussed how to update the next-generation model. I told where you need to change, where you need to update and the next model year how to do better. And he gave me lots of support,” he said.IM has big aspirations, with more models and technologies to come.Ciao said all IM models are on the table as IM has a global strategy, so there are no China-only models now. All vehicles are global models and have the potential to come to Australia.This means the massive LS9 SUV is a potential starter, with Ciao singing the praises of the huge SUV that can hit 100km/h in under five seconds, and said it will be unlike anything on the road in Australia.“Yeah the next model is a huge SUV, but has supercar performance,” said Ciao.