MG’s new IM Motors luxury auto brand has revealed the LS9 in China, a large electrified SUV that could be sold alongside the upcoming mid-size IM5 electric sedan and IM6 electric SUV in Australia.
MG Motor Australia officially launched the IM brand in April locally, where the joint venture between its SAIC parent company and Alibaba will be formally known as ‘IM presented by MG Motor’, before it opened the order books for the IM5 and IM6 in June ahead of first customer deliveries in September.
But unlike those mid-size electric vehicles (EVs), the LS9 large SUV is powered by an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrain incorporating a 114kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that acts only as a generator to power front and rear electric motors, which deliver 160kW and 230kW respectively for a total output of over 500kW.
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Energy produced by the engine is reportedly stored by a CATL Freevoy battery that provides up to 450km of driving range. Top speed is 220km/h and the LS9 is equipped with IM Motors’ third-generation X-by-Wire technology supporting rear-wheel steering and four-wheel torque vectoring.
According to Chinese transport ministry data, the six-seat version of the IM LS9 measures 5279mm long, making it up to 300mm longer than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, as well as 2000mm wide and 1806mm high, on a 3160mm wheelbase.
Kerb weight is listed at 2695kg and a ‘half steering wheel’ will be one of a range of options for the full-size electrified SUV, which will be IM’s first non-EV.
Due on sale in China in the fourth quarter of this year, the LS9 has a side profile akin to the Ranger Rover and a range of Rolls-Royce style wheel options between 20- and 22-inch, plus a closed-in grille, full-width front light bar, prominent chromed lower window surrounds, concealed door handles and a panoramic sunroof.
The LS9 is likely to be rebadged as the IM9 if it’s sold in Australia, given the IM5 is known as the L6 and the IM6 is called the LS6 in China, where the IM brand was launched in 2020 and IM also sells the L7 large electric sedan and the LS7 large electric SUV.
No pricing has yet been announced, but the LS9 will be much more expensive than the mid-size IM5 and IM6, which will take on the top-selling Tesla Model 3 and Y with drive-away pricing starting at $60,990 for the entry-level Premium 75kWh rear-wheel drive variants, rising to $69,990 for the Platinum 100kWh RWDs, and $80,990 for the 100kWh all-wheel drive Performance flagships.
The IM5 and IM6 will not be backed by the MG brand’s 10-year/250,000km conditional warranty, but by “an industry-leading seven-year all-inclusive warranty when serviced within the IM dealer network”.
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