MG had a number of new models on display at the Melbourne Motor Show, but by far the most luxurious was a large new range-extended electric SUV.
The IN LS9 is a large SUV from IM Motors, the premium division of Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor, which owns the MG brand, and was first introduced in China in July 2025.
IM vehicles are currently sold through MG showrooms in Australia under the IM Presented by MG Motor banner. But while only electric IMs have been offered here so far, the LS9 is an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
MG Motor Australia confirmed last year that it was planning to expand the IM range, and the LS9’s appearance in Melbourne suggests that this is the model that will be imported next.
With Daily Sparkz you can save thousands on a new car. Click Here to get a great deal.
“We have already started exploring options, which could include a large SUV, for a third model in 2026 or beyond under the IM Presented by MG Motor brand,” the company said Daily Sparkz last August.
The LS9 features an 800V electrical system and a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, the latter of which is used as a generator to power either a 52 kWh or 66 kWh battery. This battery, in turn, supplies power to the electric motors – one at each end of the vehicle – to transmit drive to the wheels.
Total system output is 390kW and 670Nm, with a combined range of up to 1500km on the more generous CLTC cycle.
A Hyper variant The model, introduced at the beginning of the year, has three electric motors and a new all-wheel steer-by-wire system.
If launched here, the LS9 would be the largest SUV MG has ever offered in Australia.
The LS9 is 5279 mm long, up to 300 mm longer than the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, and 2000 mm wide and 1806 mm high, with a wheelbase of 3160 mm.
In contrast, the large SUV MG QS is 4983 mm long, 1967 mm wide and 1778 mm high with a wheelbase of 2915 mm.
It’s unclear how much the LS9 would cost in Australia. The MG IM6 currently tops out at $77,990 before on-road costs in performance trim, making it the second most expensive MG behind the Cyberster electric sports car.
The LS9 would be the most luxurious model in MG showrooms. In China it is equipped with four-wheel steering, two-chamber air suspension and electronically controlled dynamic damping as standard.
Inside, there’s a 27.1-inch screen in front of the driver, a 15.6-inch screen in front of the passenger, two 21.5-inch screens in the second row, Nappa leather upholstery, a 12.3-liter refrigerator with heating, two 50W mobile phone chargers with cooling and a 21-speaker sound system. The front seats have heating, ventilation, massage and memory.
It is also available with 22-inch highly polished alloy wheels and a 25-speaker B&O sound system.
IM got off to a bit of a slow start in Australia.
The order books for the large liftback SUV IM5 and the crossover SUV IM6 opened last June, before the first customers were delivered in September.
MG delivered 164 IM5s and 260 IM6s in 2025. The Zeekr 7X, also a late 2025 launch and a competitor to the IM6, recorded 1,206 deliveries.
In the first three months of 2026, MG delivered 101 IM5s and 134 IM6s.
In China, the IM Motors brand, founded in 2020, also offers the larger L7 sedan and LS7 SUV, which rank above the L6 and LS6 (also known as IM5 and IM6).
These all offer electric drive, with the exception of the LS6, which will now also be available as an EREV after a facelift in 2025.
IM Motors is busy expanding its EREV offering, with the LS6 and LS9 models joined by the LS8 earlier this year.
MORE: Explore the MG showroom
