IM Motors is expected to start allowing test drives on April 9, with first deliveries starting in late April.

(Image credit: IM Motors)

IM Motors, the premium electric vehicle (EV) brand jointly created by China's largest car company SAIC and e-commerce giant Alibaba, has begun locking in orders for its first model, the L7, with first deliveries expected to begin by the end of April.

IM Motors is currently offering only the L7 Pro version at a retail price of RMB 408,800 ($64,220), in line with the pre-sale price announced at the end of April last year.

The model is positioned similarly to Nio's ET7 sedan, which began deliveries yesterday, as a mid-size, all-electric sedan. There are currently very limited options for this market in China.

The IM Motors L7 measures 5,098 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width and 1,482 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,100 mm.

The model is equipped with dual electric motors, the front motor with a maximum power of 175kW and the rear motor with a maximum power of 250kW, for a combined maximum power of 425kW and peak torque of 725Nm. It can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.87 seconds.

It comes standard with a 93kWh ternary lithium battery and has a maximum range of 615km.

For comparison, the Nio ET7 has a length, width and height of 5,101 mm, 1,987 mm and 1,509 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 3,060 mm.

The ET7 has a front motor with a maximum power of 180kW and a rear motor with a maximum power of 300kW, for a total maximum power of 480kW and a peak torque of 850Nm. It can accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds under half-load conditions.

The ET7 comes standard with a 75kWh battery pack, with an optional 100kWh battery pack available to consumers, and a CLTC range of 480-705km.

The Nio ET7 is available in two versions, priced at RMB 448,000 and 526,000 respectively before subsidies. Depending on the battery capacity, consumers can receive a purchase subsidy of either RMB 11,340 or RMB 12,600.

Under current Chinese policy, EVs priced above RMB 300,000 are not eligible for the national purchase subsidy, except for models that support battery swap. This means that the IM Motors L7 is not eligible for the same purchase subsidies as the Nio model.

In terms of the number of sensors, the L7 is also similar to the ET7. However, the autonomous driving chip used in L7 is Nvidia Xavier, while ET7 uses the more powerful Nvidia DRIVE Orin.

IM Motors is an electric vehicle brand built with investment from SAIC, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech and Alibaba, with SAIC holding a majority stake.

In early April last year, IM Motors named its first model as the L7, and on December 26, the first 200 Beta Experience vehicles of the L7 sedan rolled off the production line.

IM Motors is expected to start allowing users to test drive the car on April 9.

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