IM Motors claimed that the IM L6 is the first sedan in China with crab walk capability and will be powered by solid-state batteries to give a range of more than 1,000 kilometers.
(Image credit: IM Motors)
IM Motors has officially unveiled the IM L6 in China, its fourth production vehicle and second sedan.
The SAIC Motor Corp's electric vehicle (EV) arm unveiled the IM L6 at an event today and began pre-sales with a price range of RMB 230,000 ($31,810) to RMB 330,000.
Specifically, IM Motors said that the IM L6 Max standard edition will be available for pre-sale at a price of no more than RMB 230,000, the IM L6 Max Performance edition at no more than RMB 299,900, and the IM L6 Max Lightyear edition, which is equipped with solid-state batteries, at no more than RMB 330,000.
The model is a mid-sized sedan with a length, width and height of 4,931 mm, 1,960 mm and 1,474 mm respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,950 mm.
Similar sizes include the Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model 3 and Zeekr 007, although the IM L6 is slightly larger.
The IM L6 is available in single-motor rear-wheel drive as well as dual-motor four-wheel drive models, with the single-motor version producing 216 kW of maximum power and the dual-motor version producing 579 kW of combined power.
IM Motors highlighted the model's VMC (Vehicle Motion Control) intelligent digital chassis at today's launch event, claiming that the technology makes the IM L6 China's first sedan with crab walk capability.
Another selling point of the IM L6 is its solid-state battery, which IM Motors said is the industry's first mass-produced sedan to be equipped with a quasi-900 V ultra-fast-charging solid-state battery. However, the battery pack will only be available in the top-trim model.
IM Motors called the solid-state battery a "first-generation light-year solid-state battery" with a capacity of 130 kWh and a CLTC range of more than 1,000 kilometers.
It's worth noting that the solid-state battery is not a full solid-state battery, but rather a semi-solid-state battery similar to the one that Nio (NYSE: NIO) will bring into service later this month.
IM Motors said its solid-state battery is the industry's first mass-produced semi-solid-state battery with ultra-fast charging capabilities.
The solid-state battery's cells have dramatically reduced overall internal resistance, resulting in ultra-fast charging performance with a peak charge power of 400 kW, IM Motors said.
The IM L6 with solid-state batteries can get 400 kilometers of range on a 12-minute charge, according to the EV maker.
Other versions of the model come with battery packs with 90 kWh and 100 kWh capacities and a CLTC range of 700-770 kilometers.
The IM L6's cockpit is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip, which is the preferred choice for mainstream high-end EV models today.
The model's smart driving hardware includes the NVIDIA Orin X chips as well as a roof-mounted LiDAR.
In terms of smart driving software, IM Motors said it aims to begin public beta testing of city-pilot assisted driving that doesn't rely on high-definition maps in the second quarter and the feature be available nationwide in the fourth quarter.
IM Motors was founded on November 26, 2020, by SAIC, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and Alibaba, with SAIC holding a majority stake.
In June 2022 IM Motors began deliveries of its first model, the IM L7, the mid-to-large-size pure electric sedan that is a Nio ET7 rival.
IM Motors' other two models, the IM LS6 and IM LS7, are SUVs.
IM Motors says its upcoming L6 can perform driverless moose tests
($1 = RMB 7.2304)
