IM LS6 electric SUV spotted testing in Sydney, hinting at imminent launch

The IM LS6, the Australian-bound electric SUV from MG’s parent company SAIC, has been spotted testing locally in Sydney for the second time in as many months.

Photos of another IM LS6 electric SUV were shared by EV enthusiast Sydney EV on Bluesky, with the latest revealing a white vehicle from the rear with roof-mounted testing equipment.

Similar equipment was also spotted on an IM L6 sedan at a Tesla supercharger in Sydney last month.

This time, the rear of the SUV can clearly be seen as it stopped in traffic with the unique full-width rear taillights.

There also appears to be a sensor taped to the bottom of the boot lid as well as the rear logo being covered by black tape.

Looking at the registration information, it reveals that it is a test vehicle that has made it onto NSW roads as of late last month.

The only other interesting detail is the weight of the vehicle, which is listed as 2,300 kg, making it as heavy as the BYD Sealion 7, which was launched last week.

The vehicle itself is 4.9 metres in length, making it slightly longer than the Sealion 7 and the Tesla Model Y.

What’s also unique in the registration listing is that it’s labelled as MG S12 and not an IM LS6 so it’s unclear as to what brand the vehicle will be sold under.

Given the unique styling of the car, it’s easily spotted to be the LS6 SUV given its previous sightings from last month, providing a sneak peek into the camouflaged front and right-hand-drive version’s interior.

Speaking of the interior, it has a large display that appears to extend past the centre console and at this stage, its unknown if these large screens will be coming to the Australian market.

The IM LS6 was refreshed in the second half of 2024 in the Chinese market and, according to reports from cnevpost, it was set to compete with the Tesla Model Y in its home market.

Over in China, the LS6 comes in single and dual-motor powertrains and has a combination of 400 and 800-volt architectures. 

When this model was launched, the pricing of the updated model started at $A51,000 and went all the way up to $A65,000. This pricing was comparably lower than the price of the Model Y.

The base model LS6 comes with a 75 kWh Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) battery pack, which gets bumped to an 83 kWh or a 100 kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) pack. 

When it comes to range, these packs deliver between 625 – 802 km of CLTC range on a single charge, which is more likely to be 500 – 650 km on the WLTP cycle.

Given the weight of the spotted vehicle in Sydney, it’s likely to be a mid-upper spec version of the SUV, which would have an expected range of around 550 km of WLTP range.

More details about the IM brand and the upcoming model lineup will likely be released in the coming months, adding to the large stable of electric offerings in 2025.