IM LS6 Took 8,000 Pre-Orders in 45 Minutes, and the L7 Sedan Came First

IM Motors took more than 8,000 pre-orders for its updated LS6 within 45 minutes of launching it on 10 September 2026. The company's first car, the L7 sedan, was due for delivery in April 2022 but waited until late June while Shanghai went into lockdown. Together, a full-size electric sedan and a compact coupe SUV tell the young brand's story.

What are the IM L7 and LS6, and who is IM Motors?

The IM L7 is a battery-electric full-size sedan, the first vehicle from IM Motors, with production starting in early 2022. The IM LS6 is a compact SUV, available as a battery-electric or extended-range model since 2023. IM Motors, also known as Zhiji Motors, is an electric-vehicle venture of SAIC Motor, Alibaba Group and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech.

IM's updated LS6 drew more than 8,000 pre-orders in 45 minutes; its first car, the L7, was held up by a lockdown.

Who owns IM Motors?

The venture was established in December 2020, and the name IM stands for "Intelligence in Motion". SAIC Motor, China's largest state-owned carmaker, controls it. Chinese media reports say Alibaba and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech each hold 18 percent. Shanghai's Pudong New District also held an 18 percent stake through its administrative authorities, which was sold to Zhangjiang Hi-Tech in December 2022. That is why the venture is credited to SAIC, Pudong and Alibaba in its early days and to SAIC, Alibaba and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech later.

Money has followed. On 1 March 2024, IM announced that it had received more than 8 billion yuan in Series B equity financing, led by Bank of China Asset Management. ABC Investment, Lingang Group, CATL, Momenta and Qingtao Energy also took part.

Larger carmakers have noticed the technology. In July 2023, Audi announced a strategic cooperation with SAIC to borrow the platform used for large electric cars, with the aim of building an electric model for China that could compete better with start-ups such as Nio.

How did IM Motors begin?

A 3D rendering of the company's first sedan, aimed at the Tesla Model S, appeared in January 2021. At Auto Shanghai in April 2021, IM showed three vehicles: the L7 prototype, an LS7 mid-size SUV concept and the Airo, a concept designed by the English designer Thomas Heatherwick.

The LS7 was launched as the second production model in December 2022, with sales planned for the second half of 2023 in China only. In August 2023 came the LS6, a smaller coupe SUV positioned below the LS7. A fourth model, the L6 sedan, made an appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in February 2024, officially launched on 8 April 2024, with deliveries from 13 May. Its flagship Max Lightyear Edition uses a quasi-900V architecture and semi-solid-state batteries, with a claimed range of over 1,000 km (620 mi).

The line-up now also includes the LS8, a full-size SUV in battery-electric and extended-range forms, and the LS9, a full-size extended-range SUV.

What is the IM L7 like?

The L7 was revealed as a prototype at Auto Shanghai on 19 April 2021, alongside the LS7 concept and the Airo, and went on pre-sale the same day. Deliveries were set for 17 April 2022, but lockdown disruptions in Shanghai, prompted by a spike in infections from the Omicron variant, delayed them to late June 2022. It is intended to compete in China with the shorter Tesla Model S.

Up front, a low air intake sits behind active shutters, flanked by big lighting units whose daytime running lights are long and sigma-shaped. The LED headlights double as 2.6 megapixel DLP projectors, able to throw an image onto the road ahead. Panels above and below them hold a 5,000 pixel LED display for showing images or animations to pedestrians and other road users. The door handles pop out and the tail lights form a light bar.

Inside the L7

A 26.3-inch display on the dashboard combines instrument cluster and infotainment, beside a separate 12.3-inch passenger touchscreen, and together they form a panel spanning the dashboard. Both can slide partly down into the dash for a simpler view. A 12.8-inch vertical 2K OLED screen in the centre console handles infotainment and climate controls. A 22-speaker sound system produces 1120 watts. Touch capacitive buttons control the windows and mirrors on the doors, and the flat-bottomed steering wheel has touch pads.

Chassis and aerodynamics

British engineering consultancy Williams Advanced Engineering co-developed the chassis, which has electronically controlled continuous damping. The rear wheels steer through up to 12 degrees, giving a turning radius of 5.4 metres (18 ft). Staggered tyres, 245 mm wide at the front and 275 mm at the rear, fit under a body with a drag coefficient of 0.21.

What powers the IM L7?

The base L7 has a single rear motor producing 335 hp (250 kW; 340 PS). All-wheel-drive versions add a 237 hp (177 kW; 240 PS) front motor, for a total of 570 hp (425 kW; 578 PS). The only battery is a 90 kWh NMC pack supplied by CATL, with a CLTC range of 675 km (419 mi) for the single-motor car and 615 km (382 mi) for the dual-motor one.

The single-motor car reaches 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, and the dual-motor versions in 3.87 seconds. The L7 can also charge wirelessly at 11 kW, with a claimed 91 percent efficiency and up to 80 km (50 mi) of added range per hour.

How does the IM L7's driver assistance work?

The L7 uses IM AD, which relies on Nvidia's Jetson Xavier chip, two LiDARs, 11 cameras, five millimetre-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors. It can drive autonomously on freeways and semi-autonomously on city streets, be summoned by the driver and park itself.

At first the system worked only around Shanghai, because it depended on high-resolution maps. Over-the-air updates then extended coverage to more cities, and in November 2024 a beta release of a map-free urban system was sent out.

What changed in the 2024 IM L7 refresh?

IM launched a refreshed L7 on 24 February 2024, bringing it in line with the other IM cars and cutting the price by 38,900 yuan (US$5,406), a drop of 11.5 percent. The exterior is almost unchanged except for a lower rear bumper that adds 10 mm to the length.

Inside there is an optional yoke-style semi-circular steering wheel, narrower bezels, and a 15.5-inch passenger screen as in the LS7. Physical switches replaced the touch capacitive buttons on the doors and steering wheel. The wireless charger went from 15 W to 50 W, and the rear seat cushions were lengthened by 30 mm to 520 mm. The seats gained power-adjustable leg rests and seatback rake, and heating, ventilation and massage are fitted front and rear.

Driving technology moved on too. A single Nvidia Orin X chip replaced the Xavier, for an eightfold increase in computing power, two forward cameras went from 5 to 8 megapixels, and every car gets LiDAR as standard, which improves urban navigation on autopilot. The power output stays the same, but optimisation raised range to 708 km (440 mi) for the rear-wheel-drive car and 625 km (388 mi) for all-wheel drive.

The Snake Performance variant

At the 2022 Chengdu Auto Show, IM revealed a performance concept L7 tuned by Williams Advanced Engineering, with tinted lights, blue-painted Brembo brakes and a "W" badge that resembles the Millbrook test track. The Snake Performance version was launched on 30 December 2022 at Auto Guangzhou. It is based on the dual-motor car with output raised to 597 hp (445 kW; 605 PS) and 730 Nm, and it reaches 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds.

Upgrades include high-performance brakes, sports-tuned suspension, black forged wheels and retuned powertrain software. The styling features matte grey paint, tinted light covers, snakeskin accents on the pillars and badges, and a rear lip spoiler, while the cabin gets black microsuede. The car set a lap time of 1:42.212 at the Zhejiang International Circuit, the fastest of any production car there and the only Chinese vehicle in the top 80 fastest lap times at the time.

A track prototype went further, with a larger front splitter, dive planes, dual bonnet vents, an exposed red tow hook, a widebody kit with slick tyres, exposed carbon fibre roof pillars and a big carbon rear wing.

What is the IM LS6?

The LS6 is a compact SUV produced by IM Motors since 2023 as a battery-electric and an extended-range model. IM presented it in August 2023, a company less than two years old at the time, and it was officially launched in China in October 2023. In some markets it is sold as the MG IM6.

IM designed it as a more avant-garde alternative to the slightly larger LS7, with a busier front bumper, a larger air intake and reshaped headlights. The roof slopes gently to the rear in coupe-SUV style, and the tail has a wavy light strip with a small window that improves rear visibility. The proportions were dictated by aerodynamics, resulting in a record-low drag coefficient of 0.23.

The cockpit has two screens. One runs the whole width of the dashboard and acts as digital instruments, a multimedia screen and an entertainment display for the passenger. The other, tilted vertically, handles air conditioning and extra functions. The steering wheel is a so-called shuttlecock, with no rim at the top or bottom.

The original powertrains

Two dual-motor versions drive both axles. One produces 501 hp (374 kW; 508 PS). The other makes 776 hp (579 kW; 787 PS) and 800 Nm, and sprints to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds. CATL batteries allow charging at up to 800V and a range of up to 700 km (430 mi) from the 100 kWh pack, whose power electronics use silicon carbide modules from Semikron-Danfoss or Infineon.

What changed in the 2024 LS6 facelift?

IM released an updated LS6 on 26 September 2024 with a new powertrain and features while keeping the exterior and interior design. It adds the Lizard Digital Chassis first seen on the L6, a stability system that combines rear-wheel steering, air suspension and continuous damping. All models get it as standard, and it allows a moose-test speed of 82.7 km/h (51.4 mph).

Also standard is IM AD 3.0, a driver assistance system supporting supervised urban autonomous driving and automatic parking without high-resolution maps, using a single LiDAR and an Nvidia Orin chip. The front passenger seat reclines 121 degrees into a "zero gravity" mode and can serve as a chaise longue for rear passengers. The infotainment system moves to a Snapdragon 8295P chip and supports Carlink and HiCar, and an optional 17.3-inch 3K rear entertainment display hangs from the ceiling.

The base model uses a 400V architecture and a CALB lithium iron phosphate battery feeding a 216 kW (290 hp; 294 PS) rear motor, for 605 km (376 mi) of CLTC range. Middle trims have a smaller 83 kWh pack and reach 660 km (410 mi). The top trims keep the 100 kWh battery and 900V all-wheel-drive powertrain, and the rear-drive version now has a 300 kW (402 hp; 408 PS) motor.

What is the extended-range IM LS6?

The LS6 received a major facelift in 2025, with a new design language inside and out that has also spread to models such as the LS9. The 2025 model year added an extended-range version, the first to use IM's Hengxing powertrain. A 66 kWh battery gives a pure electric range of 450 km, and it is paired with a 1.5-litre turbocharged 15FNE petrol engine making 114 kW. A single rear-axle motor develops 308 hp (230 kW), and the combined range reaches 1,500 km.

Where is the IM LS6 sold as the MG IM6?

Overseas, the LS6 is exported as the MG IM6 and sold through MG's dealer network. IM's overseas plan had the L7 and LS7 entering Mexico, the Middle East, South America and Southeast Asia in 2024, and the LS6 and L6 going overseas in 2025, with independent sales channels run by selected dealer groups from MG's network. In Europe, IM vehicles would be sold alongside MG at the same sites.

• Thailand: on sale on 24 March 2025 at the Thailand Motor Show, imported from China. The Premium has a 75 kWh pack rated at 550 km (342 mi) and the Performance a 100 kWh pack rated at 634 km (394 mi). A Premium Long Range model with the 100 kWh pack and 750 km (470 mi) was added in August 2025.
• Australia: launched on 12 June 2025 alongside the IM5, with deliveries from 30 July and mass deliveries from September. Variants are Premium (75 kWh), Platinum (100 kWh) and Performance (100 kWh).
• New Zealand: launched on 22 August 2025, with customer deliveries from November and the same three variants.
• Singapore: launched on 25 September 2025 as Luxury RWD (75 kWh), Sport RWD (100 kWh) and Performance AWD (100 kWh).
• United Kingdom: sold through MG dealerships, with deliveries scheduled from September 2025.
• India: slated for October 2026 through JSW MG Motor India's MG Select showrooms.

Orders have been strong at home: IM says the facelifted LS6 attracted over 6,000 orders in its first 12 hours, from 26 September 2024.

How do the IM L7 and LS6 compare?

What is new at IM Motors, from the AI cockpit to the 2026 LS6?

The AI cockpit is the newest piece of the plan. In March 2025, IM Motors and Alibaba launched the IM AIOS Smart Cockpit, billed as the industry's first AI-driven car ecosystem, with a roll-out set for April. It has no touch and no apps: AI agents running on an open voice model take commands that trigger actions directly. An AI Takeout feature, built with Ele.me and Alibaba's automotive AI arm Banma, lets drivers order food so it is ready on arrival.

On the product side, an updated LS6 launched on 10 September 2026, and the MG IM6 is slated for India in October 2026. The LS8 arrived in 2026 and the LS9 in 2025.