MG has launched a new brand in the UK that will rival Tesla with a high-tech saloon and crossover in the vein of the Model 3 and Model Y.
The new IM 5 and IM 6 – revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – are the first UK-bound models from the recently established EV marque IM, which launched in China in 2022 and now has a four-strong line-up of electric cars that closely matches that of its Californian rival.
IM (standing for Intelligence in Motion) was founded in 2020 as a tie-up between MG parent company SAIC, e-commerce giant Alibaba and R&D specialist Zhangjiang Hi-Tech. The brand made its debut at the Geneva motor show last year and is now confirmed to be heading to MG dealerships in the coming months - as previously reported by Autocar.
The IM 5 (badged L6 in China) is a rakish four-door saloon with a maximum official range of 442 miles from a 100kWh lithium ion battery and its 800V charging architecture enables a 10-80% top-up in just 17 minutes, says MG.
The company has not given official specifications yet, but IM's platform – separate to that used by MG's existing electric cars – is said to support charging at up to 396kW - faster than any public charger currently installed in the UK.
MG has not confirmed whether the recently revealed IM 6 Lightyear Edition, with a 900V semi-solid-state battery and a peak charging speed of 400kW, will come to the UK.
The 5 will also be available as a shorter-range variant with a 75kWh battery – expected to give a range of around 330 miles – which will open the line-up at £39,450, thereby avoiding the Expensive Car Supplement that's applied to £40k-plus cars. The bigger battery bumps the price up to £44,995 and the more powerful Performance version comes in at £48,495, giving a line-up that closely matches the Model 3 in price and performance stats.
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William Morris will be turning in his grave. The Chinese have turned MG into the most laughable brand going and then they make it even worse by introducing a new brand called IM. I'm not sure who buys these cheap Chinese cars but it appears that there's a lot of people with no taste. Pairing up with Alibaba says everything you need to know
Turned MG into a laughable brand you say. Would that be the MG company that prior to 2005 leaked oil out, water leaked in, broke down and had shocking build quality. Best MGs were the ones that had MG stickers on the side of Metros.
- who buys them? Well the roads are full of them, so I guess all those people.
Another cheap Chinese car then...
Not too sure how the brand name will sit with the IM Group, guessing MG have already done their homework.
It's a £40k to 50k car so hardly cheap. Doesn't sound or look cheap either - unless your a blinkered xenophobic idiot of course