Chinese with holy grail and a touch of Alibaba
Yes: the list of Chinese brands new to Europe that will offer their electric models here has become longer again. Meet the IM L6, an electric sedan with over 600 kilometers that is also coming our way!
The Geneva Motor Show is the stage on which the brand new MG3 is presented. With this car, parent company SAIC wants to offer an affordable alternative to compact hatchbacks such as the Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i10. But SAIC has bigger plans for Europe. It also brings IM Motors to Europe. The IM L6 is the first car from that brand to have European asphalt under its wheels.
What is IM Motors again? IM Motors was founded in 2020 by SAIC, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and – yes – Alibaba, the company behind AliExpress, among others. IM Motors – whose letters IM stand for Intelligent Mobility – already sells three electric models in China: the SUVs LS6 (photo 3) and LS7 (photo 4) and a 5.1 meter long sedan: the L7 (photo 5). The L7 is used by IM Motors as a supporting image to announce its arrival in Europe and says that the IM L6 to be unveiled during the Geneva Motor Show will also come to Europe. Official images do not yet exist, but AutoWeek can already show you the electric IM L6 after a search in the database of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. We can also tell you quite a bit about it.
IM L6
The IM L6 is a 4.93 meter long, 1.96 meter wide and 1.47 meter low electric sedan that, with those dimensions, seems to become a competitor to cars such as the Volkswagen ID7. At least in China, the 2,100 to 2,190 kilo car will be available with 294 hp, 337 hp and 408 hp electric motors. Perhaps more interesting is what we learn about the car’s batteries. There will be a version with an unspecified lithium-ion battery that gives the car a range of ‘more than’ 600 kilometers. Even more interesting: there will be a version with a solid state battery that should be able to travel no less than 800 kilometers on a full battery. The fastest variant must be able to reach a speed of 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds.
Solid-state batteries are seen as the holy grail of battery technology. They have a higher energy density, can withstand higher temperatures and are said to have a longer lifespan than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Where lithium-ion batteries use a liquid as a connection between the two poles, solid-state batteries use a solid.
IM introduces itself as a brand that focuses on “[…] executive sedans and larger SUVs in the premium segment”. So you can count on a number of other IM models – perhaps the LS6, LS7 or L7 – coming our way. We also expect IM’s EVs on the market in the Netherlands. market!On to Geneva.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl