A six-seat prestige SUV larger than a Nissan Patrol – with range-extender hybrid power – is on the cards for sale in MG showrooms alongside $25,000 city hatchbacks.
MG's new IM sub-brand – arriving in MG showrooms imminently with prestige electric cars – is set to expand its range with a flagship SUV bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser.
And one of the two IM SUV options under consideration is the flagship LS9, which stretches close to 5.3 metres long – bigger than a Nissan Patrol or Mercedes-Benz GLS – and offers V8-like power from range-extender hybrid technology.
It is likely to cost well in excess of $100,000 if sold in Australia, given the flagship IM6 mid-size-to-large SUV – an electric Tesla Model Y competitor – tops out at $80,990 drive-away.
However, it may not arrive until 2027, leaving IM with just two models – the IM6 and related IM5 sedan – as its only offerings in the meantime, sold in MG dealers alongside MG 3 hatchbacks and ZS small SUVs at a fraction of the price.
"I have already started the plans to bring [more] models to Australia," MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao told Drive.
"We have two models, I've not made a final decision on which one [to introduce]."
The two options appear to be the LS9, a new six-seat range-extender hybrid due in Chinese showrooms later this year, and the LS7, a large, five-metre-long electric SUV similar in size to a BMW iX.
Ciao appeared more interested in the LS9, which would likely be sold as the IM9 if introduced in Australia.
It is what is known as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), so it drives the wheels with electric motors, and fits a large battery pack for a three-digit electric-only driving range, but has a petrol engine under the bonnet to deliver a long range in hybrid mode.
The engine is not connected to the wheels, and can only be used to charge the battery.
Overseas reports indicate the LS9 combines a 114kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 160kW front and 230kW rear electric motors, and a Chinese-designed battery rated for a 450km electric-only range.
"The car is a whole new technology. We call it EREV," Ciao said.
"I think this car is very, very good for Australia, because you drive by petrol engine, but in the petrol engine, the fuel efficiency is under five [litres per 100 kilometres].
"But the performance is a supercar performance, [it has] a huge body size, and off-road AWD [all-wheel drive]. So, that car will be coming. That car, I think, is a game-changer in this market."
Asked if it is due next year, or further down the track, Ciao said: "Later than next year."
"All the data, specs that I [have] checked ... everything is the best in the whole world," he claimed.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
