The new-generation IM LS6, priced from CNY 209,900 ($28,700) to CNY 279,900 ($38,300), comes with major upgrades, including an updated design, a 66 kWh battery, and distinctive smart features.
The new-generation IM LS6 lives up to the “new” label.
This new car, which has started pre-sales at a price range of RMB 209,900 ($29,180) to RMB 279,900 ($38,850), features an all-new design and capability configuration from its exterior to interior, and from its three-electric system to smart functions. It can be said that IM Motors has almost recreated an LS6.
The goal is nothing more than to boost IM’s sales and bring SAIC Motor’s new energy transformation into a stable phase.
At a time when almost every model is striving to be an “all-rounder”, the new-generation LS6 has achieved an upgrade in product strength by extending its length by 27mm, abandoning overly soft curves, equipping it with a 66kWh battery and a range extender, and incorporating the Thor chip, among other improvements.
Coupled with the pre-sale price starting at RMB 209,900 ($29,180), the commitment to a lifetime battery warranty, and the strategy of pricing the pure electric version lower than the extended-range version, IM clearly wants to fight for a new future for the LS6.
At a time when SAIC’s cooperation with HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility, the upcoming Shangjie brand, plans to challenge the RMB 150,000 ($20,830) new energy vehicle market, countless eyes are on IM to see what actions it will take to prove SAIC’s capabilities.
What changes has IM made to the LS6, and why? Let’s follow the pre-sale conference and group interview to see what IM has to say.
Recreating the LS6
“I think this time, we really need to put pressure on our competitors’ fuel-powered vehicles,” Liu Tao, Co-CEO of IM Motors Technology Co., Ltd., made such a bold statement at the pre-sale conference of the IM LS6.
In the RMB 200,000 ($27,780) SUV market where the new-generation IM LS6 is positioned, in addition to new energy vehicles such as the Tesla Model Y and Li Auto L6, fuel-powered vehicles such as the Tiguan L, Tayron, and CR-V still sell more than 10,000 units per month, and they often appear in the top ten of the sales rankings.
Although new energy SUVs have turned this market into a red sea, there are still relatively broad market opportunities.
So where is IM’s opportunity? “Pure electric is the ultimate user experience”, but fuel vehicle users are worried about range and energy replenishment, while pure electric users are obsessed with the quiet driving experience, and the opportunity for the current new-generation extended-range solution lies here.
IM’s Stellar Super Extended Range technology came into being.
With the support of this technology, the new-generation LS6 Super Extended Range 66 Max version, priced from RMB 239,900 ($33,320), not only has a pure electric range of 450 km, but also the 800V fast charging platform + 4C rate CATL Xiaoyao Max battery brings the new car a performance of 310 km of energy replenishment in 15 minutes.
The pure electric range performance of the new-generation LS6 with a 66kWh battery is already 278 km more than that of the ideal L6, a strong player in the RMB 250,000 ($34,720) extended-range SUV. The official launch price of the former may reach around RMB 220,000 ($30,560), and compared with the ideal L6, it also comes standard with rear-wheel steering.
Even the pure electric Pro version starting at RMB 209,900 ($29,180) and the Super Extended Range 52 Pro version starting at RMB 214,900 ($29,850) have ranges of 650 km and 370 km respectively, providing users with a variety of choices.
Using a large battery to increase the online time of the pure electric mode is one of IM’s solutions. When it comes to the unavoidable activation of the range extender, IM claims that under its silent technology, the noise under low battery can be less than 0.5 decibels.
Similarly, the extended-range version still has a power performance of 275.5kW under low battery, which also enhances the pure electric experience in terms of power.
The addition of extended-range power is an internal change of the new-generation LS6, while the external performance is a new thinking on the interior and exterior.
IM has added many tough lines to the new-generation LS6. Coupled with the 27mm longer body length, the overall appearance of the car is more neutral. At the same time, the interior has a 90% space utilization rate, improving the space performance of the new car.
However, the new-generation LS6 still has many personalized designs, such as the “small green light” at the rear, the upgrade of the rear interactive screen from monochrome to color, and most notably, the 27.1-inch cockpit screen that integrates the instrument panel and the central control screen in the car.
Jiao Qiao, Senior Director of IM Automobile Brand and User, said that the integrated screen design can better ensure user safety.
He took the rainy night mode as an example. According to the traditional screen layout, the central control screen is located on the right side of the driver’s seat. But when changing lanes to the left on a heavy rainy night, there may be dangers on the left, but the screen is on the right, which is unfavorable for safety.
The cockpit screen of the new-generation LS6 adopts left-right partition warning, that is, left blind spot prompts on the left screen and right blind spot warnings on the right screen. Combined with the 520-line laser radar, the new car’s rainy night mode can expand the driver’s field of vision by 40%, ensuring driving safety.
As IM said in the group interview, they hope that through the intelligent and comfortable experience lacking in fuel vehicles below RMB 200,000 ($27,780) , the remaining 50% of fuel vehicle users can embrace and experience new energy. The configuration and capabilities of the IM LS6 extended-range version are aimed at this goal.
Confidence
IM calculated in the group interview that an RMB 180,000 ($25,000) car, plus RMB 20,000 ($27,780) of purchase tax and fuel costs for 5 years/100,000 km, is no cheaper than the LS6 with 66kWh battery with a pre-sale price starting at RMB 239,900 ($33,320).
The new-generation IM LS6 has a fuel consumption of 2.07 L per 100 km. With the use of the extended-range large battery, its usage cost is on par with fuel vehicles below RMB 200,000 ($27,780). The intelligent and comfortable configurations are icing on the cake, jointly impressing fuel vehicle users.
Every generation upgrade of the new car is backed by huge capital investment, not to mention the cost increase brought by hardware upgrades such as the CATL Xiaoyao Max battery and 520-line laser radar adopted by the new-generation LS6, which inevitably makes people worry whether IM is exchanging profits for sales.
Regarding this issue, Li Weimeng, CMO of IM Automobile, did not answer directly, but said that IM is backed by the entire SAIC Group, which provides support to IM in the supply chain, and the battery on the new-generation LS6 is a strategic cooperation with CATL. “CATL has given us great support.”
Even so, whether the new-generation LS6 is profitable depends on sales. The improvement of product strength is the key for the new car to gain advantages as a latecomer.
With the Lizard digital chassis, a comprehensive range of over 1,500 km, and a charging power of 170kW even at minus 20°C, the new-generation LS6 targets BBA users, Japanese SUV owners, and consumers in the north who are watching new energy vehicles, breaking through their pain points one by one.
IM, which has iterated to the third generation of products, is downplaying product features with limited audiences and high explanation costs, such as crab-walking ability and soft curves. Instead, it is more deeply observing market pain points and presenting a product that is more in line with public expectations.
However, prior to the new-generation LS6, there are already models that have established brand advantages, such as the Li Auto L6, Xiaomi YU7, and BYD Song. Additionally, there are extended-range versions of models from new power brands like Zeekr and Xpeng that are poised for release. Even within the new energy vehicle segment alone, the competition is quite fierce.
What’s more, among the groups that new energy vehicle products currently need to win over, a significant portion are late majority consumers who remain cautious about new energy vehicles. The difficulty here may be much higher than people expect.
Nowadays, as the threshold for mainstream new power brands increasingly moves toward monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units, IM Motors’ monthly sales have been lingering around 5,000-6,000 units. It is under considerable pressure both in terms of survival and public opinion. IM Motors is in urgent need of a model to prove itself and turn the tide, and the new LS6 is its opportunity.
This time, can the IM LS6 – which once became the champion of its segment for 19 consecutive weeks in 2023 and maintained the second place among midsize and large pure electric SUVs in its segment in 2024 – become the clarion call for IM Motors’ new stage and lead the brand upward?
(End)
Discover more from ChinaEVHome
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
