2025 IM5 and IM6 Presented by MG lands in Australia: Our first very brief drive of an ambitious Chinese EV brand aimed at Audi, BMW, Tesla and BYD

August 4, 2025August 3, 2025 Toby Hagon 10539 Views IM, IM Presented By MG, IM5, IM6, mg

The latest new brand to infiltrate the Australian market – IM – offers EVs with a magnetic dashboard, that use submarine-grade steel and can charge faster than any Porsche, Audi or Tesla.

The new IM5 and IM6 also come with a 20-speaker 7.1.4 3D sound system.

If you haven’t heard of the IM brand you’re not alone.

That’s why the aspirational prestige player is tagging its parent – MG – into its nomenclature.

IM6, part of a new brand in MG showrooms known as IM Presented by MG.

The new IM5 mid-sized sedan and IM6 mid-sized SUV – each playing in the Tesla Model 3 and Y-sized sweet spot of the EV market – are part of what is officially known as IM Presented by MG. As well as IM5 or IM6 on the rear of the car there is an “MG Motor” badge for familiarity.

They will also be sold in the Chinese brand’s dealerships rather than new standalone facilities.

Still, it’s a clunky name and one that could prove a challenge in an increasingly competitive market.

Against the might of Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW having to explain that you drive an IM Presented by MG doesn’t have the same cachet.

The new IM Presented by MG brand gets “MG Motor” branding on the rear.

Fortunately the cars are easier to get their head around.

The IM5 wants to take a slice of the electric sedan market dominated by the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal.

The IM6 wants to take on the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7.

Its luxury positioning also has it looking to cover a broad cross section that also includes newcomers such as the XPeng G6 and upcoming Zeekr 7X.

While its gunning for premium dollars, it’ll also partly trip over the likes of the Kia EV5, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and upcoming Nissan Ariya as it tries to tempt people to the EV side.

IM says its four pillars are:

Purposeful innovation
High performance engineering
Premium finishes
Safety first

It’s the sort of sales pitch you could attach to other newcomer Chinese brands and clearly brand positioning will be an important part of IM’s early days.

IM6 (left) and IM5 (right) are positioned squarely against the Tesla Model Y and Tesla Model 3.

Unsurprisingly there’s no shortage of bold claims and an emphasis on tech and engineering. The body apparently uses some submarine-grade steel, for example (it sounds impressive!).

And it has a “digital chassis” the company claims is essentially a “brain to make the car drive better”.

There must be some pedigree because the China-only Audi E5 uses the same underpinnings as the IM5, something Audi refers to as the “Advanced Digitized Platform”.

As part of a marketing stunt an IM5 tackled the infamous moose test, a swerve-and-avoid test usually done at 80km/h.

The company says its car completed the test at 90.96km/h, which it claims is a new record.

2025 IM5 and IM6 Presented by MG: Price and equipment

It’s all about bang for buck with the IM5 and IM6 … Presented by MG (this could get boring, so forgive me as I’ll stick to the more manageable IM5 and IM6 from now on).

Both the sedan (IM5) and SUV (IM6) are available in three grades: Premium, Platinum and Performance.

Pricing on all three is sharp – $60,990, $69,990 and $80,990, each drive-away – especially if you line it up against anything from Europe, Japan or America.

Premium versions of the IM5 and IM6 are priced from $60,990 drive-away.

Premium variants include alloy wheels (19-inch on the IM5, 20s on the IM6), four-wheel steering, panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled synthetic leather trim, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 10.5-inch lower central screen and 26.3-inch main screen that also incorporates the instrument cluster. It’s powered by a single 217W/450Nm electric motor driving the rear wheels for a 0-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds. A 75kWh LFP battery provides 490m of WLTP range.

The Platinum adds an inch to the wheel diameter (20s for the IM5, 21s for the IM6) and picks up Pirelli P-Zero tyres. It also gets an 800V electrical architecture (MG/IM says it actually runs at 875V) providing 300kW/500Nm to the bigger rear motor, marketed as Hurricane. The 0-100km/h claim drops to 4.9 seconds.

The Platinum also gets a 100kWh battery with the more energy dense NMC chemistry. It can charge at up to 396kW, making it the fastest charging EV in the country (the latest Porsche Macan and Audi e-tron GT top out at 320kW). A 30 to 80 percent charge is claimed to take 15 minutes and 12 seconds (nothing like accuracy!).

IM5 and IM6 interior. — The IM brand is trying to muscle in on the luxury market with a cabin that has quality finishes and plenty of tech.

The top-of-the-line Performance shares that same electrical architecture but adds a front motor to the mix for all-wheel drive traction. The front motor makes 200kW/302Nm and the rear 372kW/500Nm.

It also picks up an air suspension system with active dampers.

2025 IM5 and IM6 Presented by MG: What we think

Our time with the IM5 and IM6 was brief – very brief. I’d be lucky if I drove it one kilometre. And it was limited to 40km/h in a carpark.

Yes, we’ll be spending more time with it. And clearly we’ll have to wait longer to get a proper idea of what it’s like.

But it was enough to learn these cars are as much about software as hardware.

Go to open a door and it momentarily fights back as the electronic locks decide it’s OK to release.

Jump in and there’s an upmarket flavour and tech bulging from every corner and crevice.

Speakers surround the sunroof and there are even speakers in the boot, all as part of the immersive sound system. It’s badged as a 7.1.4 system (seven regular surround speakers, four roof speakers and a subwoofer) but is not a Dolby Atmos system; Dolby is the leader in immersive sound (with overhead speakers) and it seems IM is trying to achieve a similar aural experience.

The enormous screen is vibrant and bright and seems mostly easy to navigate.

There’s all sorts of features that you never knew you needed, some using 1s and 0s to take advantage of various systems in the car.

IM5 and IM6, part of the new IM Presented by MG brand.

Crab mode allows the front and rear wheels to turn in the same direction to drive sideways at up to six degrees.

It could be handy gliding out of a tight parking space, although we suspect it’ll be more a party trick to show friends than something useful every day.

The four-wheel steering system that enables crab mode makes for a super tight turning circle, though. That definitely will be handy.

Materials and finishes all present nicely, albeit without the effortless elegance of a Mercedes-Benz or the techy tinge of a BMW.

The phone pad and angled centre console are indicative of a layout that is functional and stylish.

Those who want to attach gadgets to the dash can utilise the inbuilt magnetic pads (Hyundai also did this with the Ioniq 5, just to give credit where it’s due)

Ambient lighting provides a nice glow.

The seats are also snug and comfy and there’s decent space up front.

In the rear of the IM6 it’s open and airy courtesy of the vast sunroof (there’s no blind, so you’ll have to look at aftermarket solutions if you want to block out the sun).

Frameless windows add to the sense of class.

The IM6’s SUV profile and taller roof give it more space in the rear than its IM5 sibling.

The folding arm rest is substantial and incorporates cupholders and a small binnacle. Headroom is generous.

Press the left hand circle of the IM badge (yep, that could stump a few people!) and you’re into the broad, flat-floored boot.

A modest underfloor compartment adds to the usefulness. The back seats fold 60/40.

The back seat of the IM5 is lower, albeit still allowing for decent headroom, although you’re sitting closer to terra firma, so it’s more of a climb in and out.

The central arm rest isn’t as long or grand, although elsewhere the attention to detail and comfort is well done.

Under seat foot space is good without being exceptional; big hoofs will be touching the underside of the seat cushion.

The boot is shallower but longer and lacks the underfloor storage of the SUV.

As for what it’s like to drive, we’ll have to leave that judgement until we spend more time behind the wheel.

The Performance model is brutally fast – we experienced a brief acceleration run from the passenger seat – but there are plenty of other EVs that will give you a similar rush.

2025 IM5 and IMG: Verdict

It’s a tad early to say whether the new IM5 and IM6 are likely to shake up either the EV establishment or the luxury establishment.

Clearly the prestige market is a tough one to crack into. Just ask Lexus, Genesis and a raft of others that have not had the staying power.

But the IM5 and IM6 arrive with a compelling value proposition.

They also present well on paper and are dripping in tech, at least providing a reason to consider them.

Getting buyers to accept a new brand will be one of the biggest challenges.

Score: NA (we’ll leave that until we’ve spent more time behind the wheel!)

Price and specifications: IM Presented by MG

2025 IM5 Premium

Price: $60,990 drive-away
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 4 doors, sedan, RWD
Range: 490 km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 75kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/200,000km
Energy consumption: 17.5kWh/100km
Motors: 1 rear motor – 217kW/450Nm
AC charging: 11kW, CCS Type 2 plug
DC charging: 153kW, CCS plug
0-100km/h: 6.8 seconds

2025 IM5 Platinum

Price: $69,990 drive-away
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 4 doors, sedan, RWD
Range: 655km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 100kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/200,000km
Energy consumption: 17.3 kWh/100km
Motors: 1 rear motor – 300kW/500Nm
AC charging: 11kW, CCS Type 2 plug
DC charging: 396kW, CCS plug
0-100km/h: 4.9 seconds

2025 IM5 Performance

Price: $80,990 drive-away
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 4 doors, sedan, AWD
Range: 575 km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 100kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/200,000km
Energy consumption: TBA
Motors: 1 front motor – 200kW/302Nm, 1 rear motor – 372kW/500Nm
AC charging: 11kW, CCS Type 2 plug
DC charging: 396kW, CCS plug
0-100km/h: 3.2 seconds

2025 IM6 Premium

Price: $60,990
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, RWD
Range: 450km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 75kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/200,000km
Energy consumption: 19.1kWh/100km
Motors: 1 rear motor – 217kW/450Nm
AC charging: 11kW, CCS Type 2 plug
DC charging: 153kW, CCS plug
0-100km/h: 6.8 seconds

2025 IM6 Platinum

Price: $69,990 drive-away
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, RWD
Range: 555km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 100kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/200,000km
Energy consumption: 20.7kWh/100km
Motors: 1 rear motor – 300kW/500Nm
AC charging: 11kW, CCS Type 2 plug
DC charging: 396kW, CCS plug
0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds

IM6 Performance

Price: $80,990 drive-away
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, AWD
Range: 505km (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 100kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/200,000km
Energy consumption: 23.4kWh/100km
Motors: 1 front motor – 200kW/302 Nm, 1 rear motor – 372kW/500Nm
AC charging: 11kW, CCS Type 2 plug
DC charging: 396kW, CCS plug
0-100km/h: 3.4 seconds