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IM6 priced, full talents yet to reveal
Richard Bosselman
October 24, 2025
The first car from MG’s upmarket offshoot is close. How street smart will it really be?
WHETHER the car whose name is shorthand for ‘intelligence in motion’ will have the smarts in this market to match or better the full self drive-supervised function now availed to latest Teslas has yet to be discussed by its maker.
In announcing pricing today for the IM6, a coupe-style, luxury-pitched SUV that will kick off MG’s premium IM sub-brand here, there was mention of examples of how its advanced technology might make driving easier.
However, those here speaking for a product designed to compete with the Tesla Model Y by offering similar technology, minimalism and range seems careful to steer clear, at least for now, touching on the one talent that conceivably might be the best draw.
In other markets, the IM6 possesses significant self-drive functionality, with key features including automated lane changes, navigation through unmarked intersections, and advanced parking assistance for over 300 types of spaces.
But it is not yet clear how much of that will arrive on the NZ-market product, whose pricing was announced today.
The car that will sell across three variants - the entry IM6 Premium with a 400 volt platform, a 75kWh battery and rear-wheel drive, for $66,900 plus on roads, plus two editions with a 100kWh battery and a 800 volt architecture, the rear-drive $77,900 Platinum and $89,900 Performance - has been spotted frequently for months, apparently testing the quality of its assists for NZ conditions.
That process has seen it fitted with external arrays that are surmised to be required for achieving accurate scanning of the NZ roadscape.
It’s a process often used by brands as they tee up systems so advance they will enable prolonged hands off operability.
For IM product, MG has partnered with Momenta Global Limited (shortened to Momenta) is a developer of intelligent driving technologies, based in Beijing and Suzhou, China.
Momenta claims to be one of the world’s first companies to achieve mass production of end-to-end large model-based autonomous driving systems. According to parent Shanghai Automotive (SAIC), it also possesses a strong capability to rapidly adapt to new road environments across the globe.
In previous information shares about IM6, MG NZ suggested it has ability to achieve at least level two of intelligent driving - which is where the Tesla system sites - or even levels three or four, which in theory ultimately remove all driving involving from a human.
Whether than can be allowed in NZ has yet to be tested; NZTA rules says a person must be behind the wheel of a car at all times and that they must have the accredited skills to operate it safely.
A car at level two can operate with a driver’s hands free of the wheel - that is the attraction of Tesla’s FSD-S; it’s just a case of inputting a route on the sat nav and, all going well, the car will achieve the journey without need for human intervention.
However, it does require a person at the wheel who has to be maintain situational awareness - the car has a camera to monitor this - and be ready and able to take over at any given point, should the system fail to react accordingly.
MG says intelligent driving is one of the critical factors in defining a ‘smart’ car. It also cites that IM’s intelligent driving system, IM AD, pushes new boundaries. It cited the Momenta hardware as possessing powerful computing and rapidly evolving algorithms.
“The assisted driving system offers safe, comfortable, and reliable driving even in the most complex real-world conditions.”
In today’s information share, the brand insists that the IM6 is expected to set a new benchmark for AI technology here, with country manager Dean Sheed attesting: “Our new IM6 embodies Intelligent Mobility which New Zealand consumers will truly enjoy. They will discover the remarkable features and capability of the vehicle.”
Nonetheless, for now the functionality being spruiked as an example is more about convenience.
Functions such as Rainy Night Mode and One Touch AI Chauffeur utilise the car’s 360-degree cameras to either assist or perform tasks on the driver’s behalf.
The various One Touch parking modes seemed aimed at nervous drivers; the IM6 has four wheel steer as standard and that enables a crab mode which allows the driver to steer the IM6 in a diagonal direction at very low speed.
The IM6’s compatibility with the MG iSMART mobile application also means owners can control key functions remotely, including monitoring, charging and checking vehicle location and route planning - all from their smartphone. The iSMART app also always shows the vehicle’s location.
The interior speaks to expectation of fairly minimal driver interaction.The dashboard really doesn't have all that much to it, except for two massive screens, a wireless phone charging pad and a few air vents. Buttons are almost entirely eschewed, save for two four-way controls on the steering wheel, and the stalks behind the wheel (one of which is the drive selector).
The generic aerodynamic shape makes it a bit difficult to work out how big the IM6 is. At 4904mm long, 1988mm wide and 1699mm high, with a 2950mm wheelbase, it slightly overshadows the Model Y.
The base car’s single motor produces 217kW and 450Nm and can cover up to a claimed 450km on a single charge, with a fast DC charge rate of up to 153kW for its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
The IM6 Premium SUV swaps from the entry car’s 19 inch rims to 20s, musters 300kW and 500Nm and will manage 555km on a full charge, also according to the WTLP test cycle.
The Performance goes to 21 inch hoops, has a total output of 572kW and 802Nm.The front motor delivers 200kW/302Nm, the rear 373kW/500Nm. It will clock 0-100kmh in 3.4 seconds and has a rage of 505km.
In addition to all the usual drive modes that affect alacrity, IM6 has air suspension as standard; overseas’ analysis suggest ride comfort changes markedly between Comfort and Sport.
There are no Euro NCAP or ANCAP crash ratings yet.
IM launched in 2020 as a JV between Chinese car-making giant Shanghai Auto (SAIC), e-commerce titan Alibaba and and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech.
The IM6 delivers a link between Sheed’s former life with VW Group brands, most recently as boss of Audi NZ, and his current tenure in that the underpinnings are based on those of Audi's Chinese-market subsidiary.
Running IM under the MG auspices eases the difficulty of launching an unknown brand here. The sake process also occurs in the United Kingdom and in Australia, where MG has a regional office that NZ reports to.
Across the Tasman, IM6 runs a ‘IM presented by MG Motor’ branding and an “MG Motor” badge also applies to IM6 and and a sedan twin, the IM5 (which isn’t being spoken about for NZ). This differentiates them from the Chinese market, where they’re respectively known as the IM LS6 and IM L6.
MG has yet to say exactly when the car will be on sale, but is taking registrations of interest.
