IM Motors was born in 2020 as a high-tech joint venture between SAIC Motor (MG’s parent company), e-commerce giant Alibaba, and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech. While MG has traditionally focused on value and “attainable” motoring, IM is positioned as the “Intelligence in Motion” of the group—a luxury arm designed to compete directly with Tesla, Polestar, and BMW.
In New Zealand, the brand is officially marketed as “IM Presented by MG Motors,” leveraging MG’s established service network and brand trust. The IM6 is the first IM model to be launched here, following the lineage of the larger LS7 SUV and L7 sedan (yet to be offered in NZ). The newer IM6 is a further development of their “Digital Chassis”, an advanced, centralised vehicle control system that integrates braking, steering, suspension and electric drive into a single unified controller. In the IM6, they have specifically tuned it to suit this, a mid-sized SUV, and according to their promotional material, it is specifically tuned to meet the demands of modern Kiwi drivers, too.
The 2026 IM6 has an impressive list of features. It includes an NVIDIA Orin N chip, which serves as its “digital cerebellum” managing and maintaining a comprehensive suite of driver-assist functions, such as automated parking and reversing modes. Other features include “intelligent air suspension” and “bi-directional rear wheel steering”.
It also has an 800V silicon carbide (SiC) platform, allowing for high charging speeds capable of 30% to 80% in roughly 15 minutes on a DC fast charger.
What We Like and Dislike About The 2025 IM IM6 Performance
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Exceptional agility with 4-wheel steering Raw performance Premium ambience Sound system Exceptionally quiet 800V Architecture Range | Over-sensitive safety tech Rear visibility Distracting interface Handling not quite up to performance |
What’s In The 2025 IM IM6 Range?
The 2026 IM6 arrives in New Zealand with three distinct variants catering to different priorities in range and performance. The entry-level Premium has a 75kWh LFP (Lithium Ion Phosphate) battery and a 217kW rear-wheel-drive motor, offering a 450km WLTP range. Stepping up to the Platinum gives you a larger 100kWh NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery and a more powerful 300kW motor, pushing the range to 555km. The flagship Performance model and our review car have the same 100kWh battery but add a second motor for All-Wheel Drive, delivering 572kW of power and a 0–100km/h sprint of 3.4 seconds, though range drops slightly to 505km.
- Premium $66,900 + ORC
- Platinum $77,900 + ORC
- Performance $89,900 + ORC
2025 IM IM6 Colour Range
Exterior colours
- Ares Black
- Athena White
- Rembrandt Grey
- Raphael Beige (colour of our review car)
- Nevis Blue
Interior options
- Highland Grey (colour of our review car)
- Dover Beige
There is no extra cost for choosing a different colour.
Our Review Vehicle’s Optional Equipment
Our review car came fully loaded. Its retail price is $89,900
For a full list of specs and options available for the IM IM6 Performance, head on over to the MG IM New Zealand’s website.
How Does The 2025 IM IM6 Performance Compare To Its Competition?
The 2026 IM6 is a direct shot across the bow of the Tesla Model Y, Zeekr 7X, and XPeng G6. In the New Zealand market, it positions itself as the “tech-heavy” alternative to the Model Y.
By pricing the base model under $67k, it undercuts many European rivals while offering significantly more standard equipment, such as the 4-wheel steering and AI parking suites, placing it as a high-value leader in the premium electric SUV segment.
| Make / Model | Battery Capacity kW-hr | Power / Torque kW/Nm | 0–100 km/h seconds | Range (WLTP), km | Boot Space, litres | Price |
| Audi Q4 e-tron 55 | 82 | 250 / 670 | 5.4 | 510 | 520 | $120,990 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E GT | 99 | 434 / 955 | 3.7 | 515 | 519 (+100 frunk) | $116,990 |
| Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD | 84 | 239 / 605 | 5.3 | 522 | 480 (+20 frunk) | $115,070 |
| Tesla Model Y Performance | 82 | 343 / 639 | 3.5 | 580 | 854 (+117 frunk) | $100,900 |
| Zeekr 7X Performance | 100 | 475 / 710 | 3.8 | 543 | 537 (+62 frunk) | $94,990 |
| IM IM6 Performance | 100 | 572 / 802 | 3.4 | 505 | 646 (+32 frunk) | $89,900 |
| Hyundai IONIQ 5 (77kWh) | 77.4 | 168 / 350 | 7.3 | 507 | 527 | $74,990 |
| XPeng G6 AWD Performance | 87.5 | 350 / 660 | 4.1 | 550 | 571 | $72,990 |
| BYD Sealion 7 Premium | 82.5 | 230 / 380 | 6.7 | 480 | 500 | $67,990 |
Please note that DriveLife does its best to ensure the information above is correct at the time of publication, however, prices, specifications and models can change over time. Please bear that in mind when comparing models in the comparison table.
First Impressions Of The 2025 IM IM6 Performance
The arrival of the 2026 IM IM6 marks a significant pivot for the MG brand in New Zealand. At first glance, it’s clear this isn’t just another value-driven SUV. The silhouette is sleek, almost Aston Martin DBX-esque with its flowing curves and integrated “ducktail” rear spoiler. It looks expensive, and standing next to it, the sheer size is imposing. It’s longer and wider than a Tesla Model Y, which pays dividends once you step inside.
It is a car that combines “tech-gadget” and “luxury cruiser.” The IM6 presents as a high-quality product, with impressive design, materials and finish. It’s a confident entrance into the premium EV space, promising a level of refinement that MG hasn’t quite reached until now.
What’s The Interior Like In The 2025 IM IM6 Performance?
Stepping inside, it is refreshingly minimalist in an elegant and Tesla-esque way. It’s a superb example of less is more. While the colour palette is subdued, it is evident that considerable attention to detail has been paid to the forms, their materials and finishes. The fit and finish are a step up from the regular MG line, a contributing factor leading to that enhanced feeling of quality.
The quality of materials is also a step above anything we’ve seen from MG previously. Soft-touch plastics, “synthetic leather” that feels remarkably like the real thing, and solid metal switchgear on the steering wheel feel premium. There is no debating the comfort or the luxuriousness. Soft-touch materials are used on much of the upper dash and door cards. The lower parts of the door cards are harder plastics, and while these have a good quality about them, it would be nice to have a felt liner for the door pockets.
On the doors, along with the usual set of window controls, touch buttons are used to both lock and open the doors; there are no physical lever handles.
Both front seats have electric adjustment, 12-way for the driver, including lumbar, and 6-way for the passenger. They also have a thigh extension, a feature I appreciated, albeit with manual operation. They are heated, ventilated and have a massaging function. The driver’s seat has memory settings and Easy-Entry, a function that moves the seat back to give more space to get in and out of the car. With all these motorised controls, it came as a surprise to find that adjusting the steering wheel for reach and height is old-school manual.
The steering wheel is another area “inspired” by Tesla, with two four-way, customizable scroll wheels replacing traditional buttons. The left wheel typically controls media, volume, and voice commands. The right wheel is highly configurable, and I had it set to activate the rear-view camera; I’ll discuss the why later. Other options for this wheel include managing Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) settings or custom shortcuts to navigation or heated seats.
Behind the wheel, two stalks handle core driving functions, again with a minimalist, tech-focused approach. The right stalk manages gear selection and adaptive cruise control, while the left stalk controls wipers and indicators.
There are also paddles used to modify the adaptive cruise control; on the right, they alter the following distance setting, and on the left, they adjust the speed setting in 5 km/h increments.
The main dashboard screen is a 26.3-inch touch screen that spans two-thirds of the car’s width. Behind the steering wheel, it displays key driver information, while in the centre of the car, it displays items like navigation maps, music, and selectable views from the various cameras when reversing or turning.
Below this, in the centre of the car, is a further 10.5” touch screen for controls of everything else; physical buttons are extinct. While it makes up for this with a comprehensive voice command system, I do miss simple physical controls for the likes of the air-con controls. Functions buried in menus, which can be a bit of a faff on the move. A real win in my book is that it has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – yay!
Common with many cars designed in China, the large centre console bridges over a lower, very handy storage area, complete with a USB-C and a 12-volt power outlet, the latter handy for that dash cam.
On top of the “bridge” is a 50-watt wireless charging pad complete with fan cooling, and even when testing the car’s acceleration, my phone stayed well planted on the charging pad. Beside it is a small recessed tray conveniently sized for a pair of sunglasses, and located behind these are two cup holders. The hinging padded armrest can itself be slid forward or back to suit the front occupants. Curiously, in its most forward position, it overlaps the cup holders so much that they can’t be used. Beneath is further storage, which can also be cooled, making it convenient on hot days. On the rear of this centre console are air vents and a single USB-C port for the rear passengers.
Somewhat surprisingly, there is no front glove compartment; the only other storage options in the passenger compartment are decent-sized door pockets in all doors. As such, interior storage is a bit light.
Despite the roofline and coupe styling, headroom all round is surprisingly good. This is in part due to the seat bases being on the low side. The width of the car is generous, and together with a flat floor, the back seat area is fine for three adults. Thanks to the massive panoramic glass roof that floods the cabin with light, the car avoids feeling claustrophobic.
The boot is generous, and the floor is level with the loading lip. Unlike other similar cars, it is not possible to increase the depth of the boot floor. However, beneath the floor is an additional storage area, great for charging cables, alongside the supplied tyre pump and repair kit. To further increase the load area, the rear seats can be folded completely flat with the boot floor. More storage is available in the front boot or “frunk”, another good-sized storage space.
Another cool feature utilises the car’s air suspension system to help out with those really tricky or heavy items. Controls in the boot allow you to lower the rear of the car up to 45 mm to assist when loading or unloading the boot.
Alongside these air-suspension controls is a further 12-volt power outlet, not just for the tyre pump, but also handy for that camping fridge or similar.
What’s The 2025 IM IM6 Performance Like To Drive?
It is a car that is designed to tackle the Tesla Model Y Performance head-on. Armed with the facts and figures, and having just stepped out of the aforementioned Tesla, I was set to be impressed. And there is a lot to be impressed with. The specification of the IM6 is stunning, and given the price, it is good value too. So just how good is it?
It is a bit of a technical tour de force. On approaching the IM6, a lot simply operates with the proximity of the key, building on that “smart intelligence” positioning. The flush door handles power out of the doors, and once inside, there is no “on” or “Start” button; the car is ready to go. And while there is an overarching minimalist appearance to the interior, the core driving controls, such as gear selection, indicators, wipers, etc., are thankfully on physical stalks. So, off to a good start.
It is quick and simple to Bluetooth my phone, wirelessly starting up Android Auto. Nice. On driving away, it lives up to expectations, quick off the line, smooth, and extremely quiet. A lot of attention has been given to insulating you from the world outside, including the provision of acoustic glazing (double-glazed windows) all round. Specifications-wise, it is on par with its competition. I read that in the not-too-distant future, Tesla-like “self-driving” will be launched. No surprise, then, the dashboard presents the outside world in a very Tesla-like format. Similar greyed out illustrations for cars, trucks, cyclists and pedestrians are dynamically modelled around me, right down to orange coloured road cones. More on this later.
The seats are soft and supportive, feeling more like designer furniture than a car seat. The seating position is surprisingly low for an SUV, offering a sporty “cockpit” feel while still maintaining enough elevation to clear the dash. However, even with electric controls offering an infinite range of adjustment, I never felt I’d got just the right setting. Almost every time I got into the car, I felt compelled to adjust the seat some more. I am being really picky here; it was just odd. They are plenty comfortable, and with the drive mode set to Comfort, it absolutely delivers.
Put the car into Sport mode, and the air suspension stiffens, and while that is good for spirited driving, the ride quality does suffer. I tended to leave it in the Comfort mode, and in reality, that is OK.
Its ability to accelerate (quoted at 3.4 seconds to 100km/h) is very impressive. In Sport mode, the car feels a little raw; in Comfort mode, it is better, although when accessing that acceleration, the handling didn’t feel as confident as I’d like; there is always a slightly disconcerting feeling of not being in complete control. The impressive acceleration is available at any time and is, quite frankly, superb for those short overtaking manoeuvres (and let’s be honest, for impressing your unsuspecting passengers).
Out on the open road, the steering is precise but lacking a little of that reassuring feedback, a bit “digital” in feel. Under hard braking, the car remains remarkably stable, though the pedal feel can be a bit wooden as it transitions from regenerative braking to the physical discs.
At speed and in Comfort mode, while it’s a little on the soft side, it still goes around corners rather well, no doubt assisted by the complex four-wheel steering system. It is a competent long-distance cruiser, well-suited for up to five adults.
And with a full complement of passengers, the air conditioning works very well, keeping stable, comfortable conditions for all. And, despite the full-length panoramic roof, we did not experience any overheating on one of the warmest days this year.
With a usable range of around 500 km, the IM6 is perfectly suited to daily commuting and confidently tackles the occasional longer trip, offering the kind of effortless electric range that means planning around charging and worrying about it simply fades into the background.
My happy place is driving with many of the ADAS switched off, and fortunately, you can turn most of these off. As is often the case with a number of Chinese cars, the ADAS are over zealous and not as refined as you’d like. For example, when using the adaptive cruise control to manage speed down a winding hill road, the somewhat random actions of the lane-keep assist, together with jerky applications of the brakes to maintain the speed, my passenger described it as like being driven by a learner driver. Drive it manually, all is good.
The rear view through the small back window is extremely limited, making using the interior mirror quite pointless. To make up for this, an excellent rear-view camera can be projected onto the dashboard screen with a simple press of a roll button on the steering wheel. It’s superb, providing a very clear view no matter the weather, and it didn’t take me too long to learn to use it.
The rear-view camera is just one of a comprehensive set of cameras around the car, and collectively they are very effectively used to assist you. For example, when indicating a turn, a camera on that side would show on the dashboard to minimise any blind spots that you may have, highlighting with a red tone any physical hazards, and supplementing the view provided by the regular door-mounted mirrors. A subtle but nice feature, the audible tick sound of the indicator is broadcast from the side of the car you are turning towards, helping to reinforce your attention being drawn to that side of the car.
At night, the headlights have a great range, and the high beam is especially good. However, its automated dipping response to avoid blinding other motorists is just a little slower than I am comfortable with, and so I tended to dip the highbeam manually.
One of the star features of the IM6 is its tight-space maneuverability; it is simply brilliant. The four-wheel steering system puts the car into a league of its own. While physically the car is a larger SUV size, in tight places it drives more like a smaller hatch.
At slow speed, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front, dramatically reducing the radius of a U-turn. It can virtually complete a U-turn within a conventional two-lane road – no reversing required. And this translates to making kerbside parking much easier too. Another trick of the four-wheel steering is the optional Crab mode. This is where the front and rear wheels turn in the same direction, so when driving forward, the car heads diagonally towards the side you turn the wheel, “rather like a crab walks”. Apparently, it too can help when manoeuvring in tight spaces.
While I am less convinced about the usefulness of the crab-steer option, its ability to automatically complete self-park is amazing. At first, I was alarmed by the speed at which it parked itself, but with familiarity from multiple uses of the auto-parking functions, I became more comfortable with its speed. The touch-screen selection instructions are clear and easy to follow, making it very simple to select a car park on the screen, and the car takes care of the rest for you. It is one of the best and fastest auto park systems I have experienced.
But wait, there is more within this auto-parking system. Should you travel down a lane so narrow you cannot turn around, the car has already memorised the last 100 metres travelled, and can simply use this to reverse itself back out – no stress! Similar systems are also seen in some high-end European cars.
The sound system is worthy of note, too. It comes with a surround sound system with no less than 20 speakers, designed as a 7.1.4 immersive system. In the front, there are tweeters and mid-range speakers on the dashboard and in the doors, there are a mix of woofers, mid-range and tweeters. More speakers are located overhead in the roof and its pillars, and in the boot, including a side-firing subwoofer. All in all, it sounds as impressive as its specification.
The software interface is slick and responds quickly to touch instructions. However, not everything was roses all the time.
Most of the time, my phone connected automatically, but occasionally I had to reconnect it to the car. On one such occasion, after running with Android Auto for about 10 minutes, it suddenly dropped out, then the left-hand panel of the main dashboard went blank, and the only function still working was projecting the relevant camera when indicating a turn. Nothing we did could reconnect the phone to Android Auto or the audio. Strangely, all this time, both my phone and the lower centre screen showed that my phone was indeed still connected to the car.
At our destination, stopping, locking the car and starting over did not fix the problem; still, there was no left screen, and no Android Auto. The inbuilt apps and navigation system were working, although now the centre control panel had become glitchy too, responding hesitantly to touch inputs and scrolling had become very slow.
I subsequently found that pressing both steering wheel scroll wheels simultaneously for 10 seconds restarts the infotainment system. Good to know.
The other area I have chosen to comment on is the dashboard representation of the driving world around the front of the car. While it might sound critical, it’s perhaps more about software refinement, an observation of something all new and a work in progress?
Just like a competitor of the IM6, on the main dashboard, other road users and vehicles are dynamically modelled, illustrating what the car is observing as possible hazards to you. However, the dynamic part tended to portray elements of the road around you as mayhem. Vehicles driving toward you and even those parked were at times shown sliding and spinning as if on an icy road. Looking outside, it was clearly not the reality, but I did find the dashboard “movie” quite distracting, so much so that the driver attention monitor would alarm advising me to keep my eyes on the road!
Importantly, none of the multitude of the car’s safety detection systems reacted adversely in response to these “movie” images. Over my time with the car, it was 100% accurate and predictable in its responses to the safety sensors.
It feels fair that these issues are put down to new car glitches. Essentially, both issues relate to software and could potentially be solved in a future update. Even with these potentially clouding my view, the IM6 really is an impressive car with a massive list of specifications and included technology.
Over my time with the car, I travelled some 400km with an efficiency of 22.7kWh/100km. While this is a little higher than some others in the same league, the battery is sufficiently large that it really doesn’t become a problem.
Putting the dashboard-screen “movie” to one side, the car would make a great family vehicle with a very good range for everything from the everyday right up to holidays, especially so with its ability to accommodate super-fast charging. While it has some niggles with operational refinement of the ADAS, with familiarity, these can be minimised to a level where their impact on the driving experience is acceptable.
READ ON TO CHECK OUT OUR SUMMARY OF THE 2025 IM6 PERFORMANCE.
2025 IM IM6 Performance – Specifications
| Vehicle Type | Electric Performance SUV |
| Starting Price | $89,900 + ORC |
| Price as Tested | $89,900 + ORC |
| Engine | Dual Motor Electric (AWD) |
| Power, Torque kW/Nm | 572 kW / 802 Nm |
| Transmission | Single-Speed Reduction Gear |
| Spare Wheel | Tyre Repair Kit (Inflator Kit) |
| Kerb Weight, Kg | 2,470 |
| Length x Width x Height mm | 4,904 x 1,988 x 1,669 |
| Boot Space / Cargo Capacity, Litres (seats up/seats down) | 665 / 1,640 (plus 32 front trunk) |
| Battery capacity, kWh | 100 |
| Energy Economy, kWh/100km | Advertised Spec – 19.8 Real-World Test – 22.8 Low Usage: 6-10 / Medium Usage 11-19 / High Usage 19+ |
| Towing Capacity Kg, unbraked/braked | 750 / 1,500 |
| Turning circle metres | 10.18 Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+ |
| Warranty | 7-Year / unlimited km warranty (includes battery) |
| Safety information | ANCAP Rating – 5 stars – Link Rightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – RLA140 |
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