Just weeks after teasing the launch of its fourth all-electric model and promising some impressive specs, China’s IM Motors has officially opened pre-orders for its L6 Sedan. The automaker confirmed earlier today that the L6 will be powered by semi-solid-state batteries, offer a range of over 1,000km (620 miles), and deliver unique maneuvers like crabwalk and an intelligent driving chassis.
As we recapped in late March, IM Motors is a fairly young Chinese automaker specializing in EVs that operates as a joint venture between SAIC Motor and Alibaba. Since its 2020 inception, IM Motor has launched three vehicles overseas: the L7 sedan and the LS7 and LS6 SUVs.
This past February, however, IM Motors introduced its second all-electric sedan, the L6. As the first model to hit the market following parent company SAIC’s signed joint venture with QingTao Energy to develop solid-state batteries, we’ve kept our eye on the L6 to see what sort of range capabilities it will offer.
By late March, IM Motors co-CEO confirmed the new L6 will be one of the first in the Chinese market to be powered by genuine solid-state batteries, delivering massive range without sacrificing performance by settling for rear-wheel drive. Following a launch event today, we’ve learned the L6 is powered by semi-solid-state cells, similar to Chinese rival NIO.
Still, the upcoming IM Motors L6 offers lots of range and advanced tech at prices that will certainly remain competitive in the saturated Chinese EV market.
IM Motors L6 offers solid-state tech for under $46k
IM Motors officially launched the new L6 sedan in China today, opening pre-orders for three separate trims priced as follows: the L6 Max Standard Edition at a price of no more than RMB 230,000 ($31,800), the IM L6 Max Performance Edition at no more than RMB 299,900 ($41,475), and the L6 Max Lightyear Edition starting at no more than RMB 330,000 ($45,650).
Only the top-tier Max Lightyear Edition features a 130 kWh semi-solid-state battery pack as part of a “quasi-900 V” platform offering ultra-fast charging and an all-electric range of over 1,000km. IM Motors shared that the non-solid-state versions of the L6 feature 90 kWh and 100 kWh packs that deliver CLTC ranges of 700-770 km $35-479 miles).
After teasing the capabilities late last month, IM Motors used today’s launch event to showcase the L6’s Vehicle Motion Control (VMC) as part of a new intelligent digital chassis, declaring the new sedan as the first in China with crab walk capabilities.
Other features include a cockpit powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip, NVIDIA Orin X chips, and roof-mounted LiDAR that support the sedan’s ADAS functions, such as City Drive. Beta testing on that driverless software is expected this quarter, followed by a full rollout in China in Q4 2024.
Although slightly larger than the Tesla Model 3 and Zeekr 007 sedans, the IM Motors L6 is expected to be a competitor to those EVs in the segment, especially given its MSRPs and features. Pre-orders are now open in China and a telling sign will be how many consumers opt into an L6 and if they go for the solid-state version.
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