The 2026 IN LS9 Hyper An extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) has been unveiled as a technology leader in China IM engines Premium brand – and it could arrive in Australia in the near future.
Equipped with a three-motor EREV powertrain, the Hyper is the most powerful and modern version of the LS9 to date, the flagship of the IM Motors brand, which is supported by SAIC Motor, which also owns MG and LDV.
The LS9 Hyper debuts a fully electronically controlled four-wheel steering system that uses electronic actuators instead of mechanical components to steer all four wheels.
According to Chinese media, IM Motors calls the LS9 Hyper the only mass-produced SUV with a full four-wheel steer-by-wire system and the brand’s first vehicle with a three-motor EREV all-wheel drive system with torque vectoring.
The six-seat LS9 EREV is IM Motors’ largest and most expensive model. In Australia, the premium brand is sold through MG dealers under the banner IM Presented by MG Motor, with the IM5 electric liftback and IM6 electric SUV launching here last year.
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Introduced last year, the LS9 ushers in a new design language and sits at the top of the IM Motors lineup in China, both in terms of size and price above the smaller L7 sedan and large LS7 SUV (models not sold in Australia).
It is one of five IM Motors models currently offered worldwide, including the IM5 and IM6, sold in China as the L6 and LS6, respectively.
The official price for the new Hyper variant is yet to be announced.
A competitor to luxury SUVs such as the BMW X7, Volvo
MG Motor Australia has already confirmed this Daily Sparkz It is currently evaluating a third IM Motors model for local launch in 2026, but has not yet announced which vehicle it plans to bring here.
While the Australian upper large SUV segment is a relatively niche market, the LS9 is considered a strong candidate for local launch. An Australian version is expected to adopt local naming conventions and be branded as “IM9”.
The LS9 Hyper has the same 3160mm wheelbase and 5279mm overall length as the standard LS9, making it longer than a 300-series Toyota LandCruiser, but features additional performance hardware and chassis technology.
A 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine continues to act solely as a generator, producing 114kW, paired with a 65.9kWh CATL nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack.
The Hyper variant has another electric motor – with a 160 kW motor on the front axle and two 195 kW units on the rear axle – making a total of three motors. An overall performance figure for the system has yet to be announced.
The twin-engine LS9, on the other hand, has a total system output of up to 390 kW.
The all-electric range of the Hyper is claimed to be 308 km (WLTC), compared to 320-402 km range (CLTC) for other variants.
The Hyper also combines its additional power with all-wheel drive and its electronically controlled four-wheel steering as part of the LS9’s Digital Chassis 3.0 “Lingxi” (meaning “lizard”) system.
While the IM5 and IM6 sold in Australia use conventional rear axle steering systems, the LS9 Hyper’s fully electronic setup doubles the maximum rear steering angle from 12 to 24 degrees, enabling a tight turning radius of just 4.95 meters for the 5.2 meter long SUV.
Like the regular IM LS9, the Hyper features dual-chamber air suspension.
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving features are powered by NVIDIA’s Thor computing platform, while the interior is dominated by a 27.1-inch display in a leather-trimmed interior.
The IM LS9 Hyper is scheduled to go on sale in China in the first quarter of 2026.
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