Present at the Geneva Motor Show with four electric cars, the Chinese manufacturer IM, a high-end division of MG which is arriving in Europe, is preparing an interesting new model. The latter takes the form of an electric station wagon and takes the name L7 Cross GT. What makes SUVs outdated?
If you follow automotive news on Survoltés, you know that there are more and more Chinese brands, and that they are arriving en masse in Europe. Among them, we can notably cite IM Motors, still little-known in our region at the moment. But that shouldn’t last.
A superb electric station wagon
It was in 2020 that the firm was officially founded, resulting from the association between SAIC Motor, parent company of MG and the Chinese group Alibaba. Aiming to compete with Tesla and BYD, which has just become the world number 1 in electric, this newcomer already markets several models, namely the L7 and LS7. But that’s not all, because it is also preparing other launches, and wants to export outside its native country.
A great program for the manufacturer, which announces the arrival ofa new car in its range. The latter will be called L7 Cross GT and is in fact an estate version of the L7 sedan which we already know well. And good news, we already know what this car will look like, since the brand has just published a series of visuals on his Weibo pagethe Chinese equivalent of Facebook.
We then discover a vehicle with very elegant lines, which obviously takes up the front of the L7 with its light signature recognizable at first glance. In fact, it is above all the profile that changes the most, since the rear part has been completely redesigned to increase habitability and trunk space. On the other hand, we will have to wait a little longer before knowing the exact dimensions of this new version.
The stern of the station wagon is also very different from that of the sedan, since the latter has a unique lighting signature, composed of a simple and thin LED strip. The lines are generally refined, in order to optimize the Cx (drag coefficient). However, the latter has not yet been indicated by the manufacturer, which remains quite stingy with information at the moment.
Several versions
For the moment, the driving position of this new IM L7 Cross GT has not yet been revealed, but it should be identical to that of the sedan, with its immense digital panel which combines two screens for the driver and passenger as well as a digital instrument panel. Another smaller one is also installed a little lower, on the central console. The habitability should be quite good aboard the station wagon, which hunts in the territory of the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, among others.
But what about the engine? Here again, IM Motors, which will collaborate with Audi, remains quite silent. However, everything suggests that this new arrival will take over the technical sheet of the L7, which is available in several two- or four-wheel drive versions. The first claims 340 horsepowerwhile the second adds a 237 horsepower engine up front.
The sedan embarks a 90 kWh battery and displays a range which can reach 700 kilometers according to the CLTC cycle, less severe than the WLTP. The L6 will feature a semi-solid battery of more than 100 kWh which should make it possible to reach 800 km on the European WLTP cycle. Will the station wagon have this new accumulator?
To note that charging can be done in induction at a power of 11 kW, which allows the sedan to get ahead of Tesla which also wants to offer this functionality. According to the photos, the electric station wagon will also be equipped with autonomous driving, probably up to level 3 thanks to the presence of LiDAR sensors on the roof. This new arrival in the range should also compete with the Zeekr 001 as well as the BMW i5 Touring and the recently made official Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer.
It now remains whether this IM L7 Cross GT will one day be sold in Europe, which cannot be ruled out. Indeed, the manufacturer is currently present at the Geneva Motor Show with its L6 and LS6 which we were able to discover, announcing imminent marketing on the Old Continent.