MG’s IM brand to launch third model in UK in 2027

MG’s premium sub-brand IM only arrived in the UK a year ago, but it’ll soon launch its third car here, following on from the IM5 saloon and the IM6 SUV.

Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, David Allison, MG UK’s director of product and planning, spoke about what the future of IM (which stands for Intelligence in Motion) looks like. Allison said: “IM is termed as ‘technology showcase’. They offer technology that cannot be offered in the core range of cars [MG].” 

Key aspects of IM’s technology showcase, according to Allison, include “an 800-volt platform, the ability to charge at 375kW, 0-62mph in 3.5 seconds, 750bhp and lots of autonomous driving technology”. All those are offered on the IM5 and IM6, the latter of which is available on the Auto Express Buy A Car service with an average saving of over £3,000. 

IM is set for around 6,500 UK sales this year, making up a small portion of MG’s predicted 2026 total of around 100,000. In an effort to increase these in 2027, IM will add a third model to its line-up. Allison revealed: “We will continue to evolve the product range for MG IM. There will be a further MG IM product that will come to market next year and again it will operate in a space that we currently don’t sell at the moment.” 

Asking if the new IM offering could sit above the BMW i5-sized IM5 saloon and the Tesla Model Y-sized IM6 and provide a rival to the likes of the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 in the larger, seven-seat, D-segment EV market, Allison said: “Absolutely, you’re in the right area for that and equally, trying to compete outside our normal sphere of influence with the core range of cars. From a technological point of view, [it will have] really cutting-edge technology.”

In other markets, IM already has the LS8 and LS9, both huge six-seat SUVs that would comfortably sit above the IM6. However, they both feature range-extending hybrid powertrains rather than the pure-electric tech that would align with IM’s strategy in the UK. 

There’s also the LS7 SUV, which has a similar exterior design to the IM6 but is slightly larger, and shares an all-electric powertrain with the AUDI E7X. However as a five-seat only model, it’s not a competitor to the aforementioned EV9 and Ioniq 9. 

The new IM should have price on its side. Despite the premium aspirations of the IM brand and the fact it sits above MG, Allison said the price would reflect “the way we have historically operated, bringing that kind of product to market substantially less than other competitors are able to do”.

Details remain slim on the new car, but we expect it’ll receive the full suite of equipment available to the IM6, including rear-wheel steering, a party-piece ‘crab-walk’ mode, one-touch self-parking and adaptive air suspension. 

Don't miss the best of Auto Express on Google! Make us a preferred source. Click here...