Chinese cars are rising rapidly from the bargain basement in Australia, and some are now even looking to challenge well-established models from European prestige brands.
One of the hottest new upmarket challengers comes from the MG world with the IM6, a battery-electric mid-size electric SUV that ticks all the boxes from design and refinement to equipment and pricing, making it a genuine alternative to Audi’s latest e-tron model, the Q6 e-tron.
It’s a new technology leader from a new brand, which in Australia is officially labelled as IM Presented by MG Motor, and the flagship electric vehicle (EV) is a landmark car for MG and a significant step beyond its early efforts Down Under.
The IM6 is more than just a car – it’s a flagship statement in every way and proof that MG is throwing everything into its efforts in Australia, where it’s slowly becoming a solid top 10 brand on the sales charts.
Think of IM as MG’s answer to Lexus or Genesis, the premium divisions of Toyota and Hyundai, aimed directly at more established European luxury brands including BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
And of course Audi, which is effectively the Volkswagen Group’s volume-selling prestige brand. But in contrast, the Q6 e-tron is a familiar mid-size German luxury SUV employing an EV platform and powertrain shared with other models, including the A6 e-tron, which is conceptually similar to the IM5 electric sedan.
The Q6 e-tron is as sublime and sophisticated as anyone would expect from an Audi.
At first, the IM6 could seem like an over-reach by an overly optimistic newcomer. But the more you look at it, and the deeper you dig, the more you’ll see what it has going for it. And it’s not just the price.
There is classy design work on a luxurious SUV that extends to the spacious and fuss-free cabin, while the car’s impressive technology includes everything from air suspension with adaptive dampers to four-wheel steering and even one-touch parking for tricky situations, plus a ‘rainy night’ driver assistance mode.
Because it’s fully electric, the IM6 eases many of the potential concerns about long-term reliability and cost of ownership. Servicing will be cheaper and easier.
The Q6 is also all-electric but, like a lot of the Audi range in 2025, puts the emphasis on an SUV family package.
It’s still big and bold, with all the traditional strengths of the German brand with four interlocked rings on the front-end of its models, but it pushes deeper into the future of battery-powered Audi e-tron motoring.
There is also a sleeker Sportback version of the new Q6 e-tron, which brings a more coupe-style look thanks to a more rakish roof and rear-end.
How much?
The IM6 Performance almost scores a knock-out blow with a showroom advantage of nearly $20,000 over the entry-level Q6 e-tron.
The fully loaded IM SUV is priced at $80,990 drive-away for the top-shelf IM6 Performance, while the most affordable Audi Q6 e-tron is priced at $99,900 before on-road costs, which means the final outlay can quickly rise close to $110,000 by the time it hits the road.
And there are always plenty of options at Audi, like the stereo speakers available for the front head restraints in the Q6 e-tron.
For people who want more variety from their Audi, there are actually four variants of each Q6 e-tron – spanning various battery sizes and driveline setups – topped by the SQ6 Sportback priced over $150,000 plus on-roads.
| Model | Price (before on-road costs) |
|---|---|
| Q6 e-tron | $99,900 |
| Q6 e-tron Performance | $115,500 |
| Q6 e-tron quattro | $122,500 |
| SQ6 quattro | $151,400 |
| Q6 e-tron Sportback | $99,900 |
| Q6 e-tron Sportback quattro | $127,500 |
| SQ6 e-tron Sportback quattro | $156,400 |
In contrast, for people on a tighter budget, there are just three versions of the IM6, and all of them are much more affordable.
Opening the IM6 range is the Premium variant with a starting price of just $60,990 drive-away, while the mid-range Platinum costs $9000 more and the Performance flagship compared here costs $20,000 more.
| Model | Drive-away price |
|---|---|
| IM6 Premium | $60,990 |
| IM6 Platinum | $69,990 |
| IM6 Performance | $80,990 |
What do you get?
Both contenders are very well equipped.
The Audi scores with a full leather interior, but the IM6 hits back with technology based on a ‘digital chassis’ that employs machine learning for everything from the EV package to the one-touch parking functions.
The suspension comprises air springs and adjustable damping, and the four-wheel steering system even has a ‘crab’ mode to help the car into tight spots.
The IM’s digital chassis also has another trick up its sleeve. The IM6 wheelbase is 2950mm, while the Audi’s is a couple of inches shorter at 2899mm, and yet only the IM6 offers rear-wheel steering.
In the real world this reduces its turning circle to that of a far smaller car, which could be an important factor between these two vehicles, especially for drivers who frequent some of Sydney and Melbourne’s notoriously tight urban environments, making it noticeably more nimble.
The Audi has 19-inch alloys but the IM6 gets 21-inch wheels in Performance guise, while the IM also adds an iSmart system that allows remote monitoring of key vehicle functions including battery charge levels and even a ‘find me’ function if you’ve forgotten where the your car is parked.
For owners who desire an interior experience punctuated by an impressively large panoramic glass roof, the IM comes standard with one while a similar unit in the Audi will require buyers to pay more again.
On the critical digital ‘screenage’ front, the IM6 has a huge 26.3-inch display with a secondary 10.5-inch central touchscreen below it, while the Audi comes with an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster, 14.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, and an auxiliary 10.9-inch touch display for the front passenger.
The IM6 also trumps the Q6 with 256-colour ambient lighting.
Shared equipment includes:
- Automatic LED headlights
- Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
- Power front seats with memory
- Heated and cooled front seats
- USB-C power outlets
- Hands-free power tailgate
- Proximity entry and start
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Zoned auto air-conditioning
Are they safe?
The obvious answer is yes in both cases.
The IM6 achieved five-star ANCAP and Euro NCAP ratings in 2025, while the Audi Q6 e-tron did the same in November 2024 after scoring strongly in all occupant protection ratings, as well as for its ability to protect cyclists and pedestrians.
The IM6 has everything from seven airbags – including a front-centre airbag to mitigate head-clashing in side-impact collisions – to brake rotor washing to ensure braking effectiveness, and even an innovative ‘rainy night’ mode that enhances vision by using the car’s cameras to provide an all-round view of what’s happening outside the car, and by activating the windscreen demister and heated mirrors.
IM’s ‘Intelligent Hardware System’ safety suite also includes a door-opening warning, intelligent lane-change assist, and auto park assist – for situations from parallel parking to easing in and out of a tight spot – along with the usual driver assists.
Shared safety equipment:
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Lane-keeping assistance
- Forward collision alert
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Speed sign recognition
- 360-degree camera
What are they like inside?
When it comes to interior quality, fit and finish, Audi has set the standard in the luxury segment for many years, showing a deep understanding of what people need and want in an upmarket car. It realised long ago that people want a ‘surprise and delight’ experience in their premium car cabins, and the kind of material and build quality befitting of a luxury car.
The Q6 e-tron continues that theme in the leatherwork of its ergonomic seats, the ovoid shape of its upscale steering wheel, the chrome finish for minor controls including the door pulls, and the ‘softwrap’ approach to anything that occupants will touch during their travels.
But there is also a giant digital display which combines the instrument readouts with the infotainment package in a new forward-looking approach to the dashboard, described as a ‘digital stage’.
There is room for five with good head and leg room, aided by the SUV’s five-door wagon shape, but the Audi is clearly intended more for cosseting four adults in comfort with sports-style front buckets. In the back, boot capacity is 526 litres but that expands to 1529L when the 40:20:40-split and folding rear seat backs are lowered. Because it’s an EV, there is also a 64L frunk in the nose.
The IM6 is much more futuristic inside, with a minimalist approach to its cabin design. The dash is set relatively low and has a long and narrow display screen, with a secondary display at the top of the centre console. The overall effect is more Tesla than Audi.
The seats are clad in vegan leather, suitably upscale in look and feel, and feature pull-out leg support up front, plus a massage function for the driver’s side. The panoramic glass roof scores double glazing and double silver coating to better keep the Australian summer out.
The doors unlatch electrically, and feature trendy pop-out handles on the outside. Comfort in the back, in terms of both leg and head room, is also impressive, and the sound system is a bit special, comprising 20 speakers including four ‘sky’ speakers in the roof.
For cargo carrying, the boot of the IM6 – which offers great access via the large liftback – can store up to 646L and that jumps to 1621L with the 60:40-split/folding rear seat backs dropped. The frunk in the Chinese car is 32L.
What’s under the bonnet?
These new EVs were always going to be impressive on the powertrain front. Both have groundbreaking 800-volt electrical architectures, which is the new benchmark for ultra-rapid DC charging, even if they can both handle higher charging outputs than are currently available in Australia.
The entry-level IM6 comes with a 75kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, a single electric motor and rear-wheel drive, but it gets much tastier in the IM6 Performance flagship with its 800V architecture combined with a 100kWh nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) battery, twin electric motors and all-wheel drive.
The Performance package brings gob-smacking combined outputs of 578kW of power and 802Nm of torque, giving it supercar-style performance including a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 239km/h. It’s claimed driving range of 505km is pretty good for the performance, and IM claims a 30-80 per cent fast-charging time of 15 minutes.
The Q6 is the first Audi model to be based on the Volkswagen Group’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which also underpins the new battery-powered Porsche Macan and Cayenne.
It has an 83kWh lithium-ion battery, although further up the range the SQ6 e-tron comes with 100kWh. Outputs are 225kW and 485Nm, and although Audi has made its name with quattro all-wheel drive, the cheapest Q6 is only rear-wheel drive.
Compared with the IM6, it’s also relatively pedestrian in terms of performance, with a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.6 seconds and a top speed of ‘only’ 210km/h. But Audi says it can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes.
Cost of ownership
Warranty coverage for the IM6 is five years or unlimited kilometres (whichever comes first). There is capped-price servicing for those five years, with a total cost of just under $3000 and 12-month/20,000km service intervals, which is on par with many premium EVs. Roadside assistance is part of the warranty coverage.
The Q6 e-tron is also backed by a five-year/unlimited-km warranty, but service intervals are longer at two years or 30,000km, and the capped-price service plan is also longer at six years for a lower total cost of $2080. Free roadside assist also spans six years.
CarExpert’s Pick
Yes, badge snobs will be tempted to opt for the Audi, but the more you park the past and look to the future, the stronger the case becomes for the IM6.
On value alone, the IM is a clear winner with a price advantage of more than $20,000 by the time you drive away from the dealership. And when you add the classy specifications of the IM6, it gets even more compelling.
But, and it’s a big but, the IM6 is playing on ground which is traditionally dominated by the big German brands, with other interlopers including Lexus and Genesis nibbling away at the edges.
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Going electric changes some of that game, and results in a comparison which is much closer than it might first look. And on purely rational grounds in this case, it easily produces a win for the IM6 Performance.
MORE: Explore the MG showroom