IM Motors, the flagship division of the Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC, has launched a long-range Max version of the large coupe-shaped crossover LS7 with a power reserve on one charge up to 705 km according to the CLTC cycle.
IM Motors (Zhiji Motors in China) was established in 2020 as a joint venture between SAIC, IT giant Alibaba Group and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Technology Park in Shanghai, with a controlling stake in IM Motors owned by SAIC. The letters IM stand for Intelligence in Motion, which can be translated into Russian as “intelligence in motion”. In the internal corporate hierarchy of SAIC, the IM brand occupies the highest position, under which the most expensive and high-tech electric cars are produced. At the moment, the model range consists of the L6, L7 platform sedans and LS6, LS7 crossovers.
Last year, amid the global slowdown in demand for electric vehicles, IM Motors management decided that the brand's fifth model should be a range extender hybrid, where the internal combustion engine is not mechanically connected to the wheels and is used to extend the electric range. Recently, Chinese media reported that IM's first hybrid will be a crossover and will debut in the first quarter of 2025, but in the meantime, a new Max version of the LS7 electric crossover has been presented.
By the way, even without hybrids, IM Motors is doing well: according to CAAM, in the first four months of this year it sold 12,316 electric trains in China, which is 178.1% more than in January-April 2023. However, such sales volumes are considered very modest by the standards of the Chinese market; SAIC wants IM Motors to catch up and overtake Li Auto, which sold 106,189 cars (+35.7%) in China in the first four months of this year.
The large LS7 crossover (overall length – 5049 mm, wheelbase – 3060 mm) is the oldest in the IM range, it has been produced since 2022 in single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive modifications, the battery capacity is 77, 90 and 100 kW h to choose from, the range on one charge is from 510 to 660 km according to the CLTC cycle, depending on the modification.
In turn, the newly introduced IM LS7 Max will be offered only in a single-engine rear-wheel drive version (340 hp, 475 Nm), but in two variations. IM LS7 Max Elite costs 299,800 yuan (3.67 million rubles in translation at the current exchange rate) is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 90 kWh and can travel 640 km on a single charge on the CLTC cycle, and the top-end IM LS7 Max Lux costs 319,800 yuan ( 3.91 million rubles) has a 100 kWh battery and can travel 705 km on a single charge. Both Max versions accelerate to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, top speed is limited to 200 km/h.
For comparison, let’s say that the most expensive twin-engine IM LS7 Lux AWD in the range (the maximum combined output of the two engines is 578 hp and 725 Nm) with a 100 kWh battery and a range of 625 km costs 399,800 yuan (4. 89 million rubles). The basic single-engine IM LS7 Urban Fit with a 77 kWh battery and a range of 510 km costs 289,800 yuan (3.55 million rubles).
All versions of the IM LS7 have very rich standard equipment, which includes adaptive air suspension, a large set of electronic driver assistants, three-zone climate control, a panoramic transparent roof, leather interior, an adjustable two-screen display on the front panel, powerful audio system, luxury seats with electrical adjustments and much more.
In Russia, the company IM Motors At the moment it is not officially represented, but its cars are brought to our country by some gray dealers. In 2025, IM Motors will begin selling its electric vehicles on the European market.
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