- The IM LS9 will be IM Motors’ first hybrid model, as domestic EV makers have increasingly shifted away from focusing solely on the BEV market in recent years.
- The IM LS9 is IM Motors’ flagship model, measuring 5,279 mm in length with a wheelbase of 3,160 mm.
IM Motors, SAIC Motor’s (SHA: 600104) electric vehicle (EV) unit, will launch a large extended-range SUV (sport utility vehicle), joining the ranks of EV makers that have shifted their strategies to include the production of hybrid models.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the latest catalog of vehicle models set to be approved for sale yesterday for public comment, with the IM LS9 included.
The public can submit feedback from July 17 to 23. Inclusion in this catalog is the final major regulatory step for a vehicle model to be approved for sale in China.
The IM LS9 is listed on a single page in the catalog, with the product model number CSA6531LFSHEV1, and is an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
This six-seat SUV — IM Motors’ first hybrid model — measures 5,279 mm in length, 2,000 mm in width, and 1,806 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,160 mm.
The SUV has a curb weight of 2,695 kilograms and supports a maximum speed of 220 kilometers per hour.
The IM LS9 is equipped with a 1.5-liter engine from SAIC as a range extender, with a maximum power output of 114 kW.
It features dual motors, with the front motor delivering a peak power of 160 kW and the rear motor delivering a peak power of 230 kW.
The IM LS9 uses ternary lithium-ion batteries supplied by CATL (SHE: 300750).
The production facilities for the model include SAIC’s factories in Ningde, Fujian; Zhengzhou, Henan; Nanjing, Jiangsu; and Pudong, Shanghai.
Shortly after the filing information was published, IM Motors shared the first official images of the IM LS9 on Weibo, describing it as its first large six-seat SUV model.
The IM LS9 will be IM Motors’ flagship model, as the number 9 is typically used for an automaker’s top-of-the-line models.
IM Motors currently sells the IM L6 and IM L7 sedans, as well as the IM LS6 and IM LS7 SUVs in China, all of which are battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
In February 2024, IM Motors co-CEO Liu Tao said that the company’s fifth model would adopt extended-range technology, addressing the limitations of typical EREVs, which have a range of only 200 kilometers on battery power and cannot be charged fast enough.
Most of China’s earliest EV startups initially targeted the BEV market, but experience over the past few years has shown that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), including EREVs, are currently the most popular models in the transition to electrification.
To date, among China’s domestic EV manufacturers, only Nio (NYSE: NIO) remains committed to producing only BEVs.
The updated IM LS7 is 5,049 mm long and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds.
