IM comes to Europe as premium e-car sub-brand of SAIC

The major Chinese car manufacturer SAIC is so successful in Europe with its MG electric car brand that it is initially sending a new premium brand with the suffix IM to England, Norway, and Switzerland. It is likely that other European countries will be supplied at a later date.

When Audi pulled the cloth from the new E5 Sportback on the eve of Auto Shanghai 2025, quite a few of those present frowned. The four characteristic four rings that have adorned the vehicles from Ingolstadt for decades were missing from the electric car standing there in the headlights. Instead, AUDI was emblazoned on the vehicle in capital letters. “The E5 Sportback offers the strengths of Audi, reinterprets the DNA of our brand, and is perfectly tailored to the needs of Chinese customers,” said Audi boss Gernot Döllner, confirming that this car was developed for the Chinese market together with long-standing joint venture partner SAIC.

He thus confirmed the open secret that Audi used a platform from SAIC's premium subsidiary IM (which stands for “Intelligence in Motion”) to jointly put the E5 on its wheels at record speed. “For SAIC, this collaboration naturally fits perfectly into its long-standing strategy. Unlike BYD, SAIC sees itself primarily as a platform supplier: technology and production come from China, while Western brands sit on top as labels. You could say that SAIC wants to become the Luxottica of the automotive world,” explains Martin Geißler from the management consultancy Advyce & Company. The name of the Audi architecture is Advanced Digitized Platform (ADP).

The roles of the joint venture partners have been changing for some time. The former master Audi has become the student, desperately trying to get back on its feet in China. SAIC is setting the tone and wants to turn the premium subsidiary IM into an export hit and Tesla competitor. A look at the structure of the IM brand illustrates the thrust against Tesla and the fact that the vehicle is seen more as a smartphone on four wheels, which was one of the key features of Tesla's success.

Against this backdrop, the strategic partnership that SAIC-IM entered into with the technology group Huawei at the beginning of the year makes a lot of sense. Huawei is much more than just a supplier, but a technology partner that supports SAIC-IM vehicles with connectivity, operating systems, and driving assistants – Keyword autonomous driving. Huawei is increasingly regarded by experts as a heavyweight in the automotive industry. “They are the most dangerous,” a former CEO of a German car manufacturer recently stated. Also on board: the Chinese Amazon counterpart Alibaba. The merger of the two big players should indicate that the force of this technology wave will also reach the West.

The new MG IM5 and MG IM6 electric car models

The design and infotainment controls with rollers in the steering wheel already show that the Chinese have Tesla in their sights with the IM5 saloon and the IM6 SUV. The IM5 competes against the Tesla Model 3, while the IM6 is aimed at the Model Y. Both models use an 800-volt architecture (MG IM also offers a 400-volt basic version of the IM5). The capacity of 100 kWh enables ranges of up to 710 kilometers. The maximum charging power is 396 kW.

The basic version of the MG IM6 with the 100 kWh battery, rear-wheel drive, and 300 kW costs around 55,319 euros in the UK. The top version, “Launch Edition,” with all-wheel drive and 553 kW, costs around 61,082 euros. The UK currently levies import duties of ten percent on Chinese cars. The IM5 saloon with 75 kWh LFP batteries starts at around 34,490 euros. By comparison, the Model 3 starts at 40,970 euros and the Model Y at 45,970 euros, albeit with a 62.5 kWh battery.

To make it easier to get started, IM is operating under the umbrella of the now established MG brand. The two cars will initially only be available in the UK, Norway, and Switzerland. These are markets that either have a strong affinity with electromobility (Norway) or where MG has a positive tradition (United Kingdom). This puts the MG-IM managers on the safe side. The question is whether the strategy of bringing IM to Europe under the umbrella of the MG brand will be successful.

After all, MG stands for customers as a brand that has achieved an affordable merger between the old and new automotive worlds. It remains to be seen whether the pivot to premium will succeed; MG is still denying plans to bring IM to Germany. The reticence of SAIC-MG managers is understandable. A look at the sales figures of Nio, BYD, or Great Wall Motor in Europe's number one car nation shows: Newcomers have a hard time.

The established premium brands Audi, BMW, and Mercedes are still very strong. The current reluctance to embrace electromobility does not make things any easier for MG-IM. “IM will have a hard time in Germany. The planned distribution via MG may work in the UK or Norway but is more of a handicap in Germany: MG is practically insignificant here, and the German market is mercilessly brand-driven.

What's more, IM is coming rather late to an already dense EV market and offers little differentiation from Zeekr, BYD, or GWM. A real game changer would be an entry via the Audi joint venture with premium label and dealer network. Anything else is unlikely to lead to resounding success,” says Martin Geißler. SAIC could therefore also tackle the large and financially strong German car market. It is probably only a matter of time before MG IMs can be seen on the roads between Flensburg and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

(dahe)