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A modest start in Australia will not perturb MG's IM premium brand as it gears up for new products and a fresh marketing push.
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MG’s IM premium sub-brand believes it can succeed where the likes of Denza and Zeekr are playing, but it will need more products and more marketing to get there.
Having launched in Australia in August 2025 with the IM5 sedan and IM6 SUV – both all-electric models – MG has sold 754 combined IM models so far in Australia.
Speaking to Drive, IM Motors regional general manager for Asia Pacific Steven Xu said momentum is building for the brand, but work is still needed to be where it wants in the local market.
“We think we should definitely do better, and in the past March, we achieved a three-times sales volume increase,” Xu said.
“That’s good news for us, and it seems like a lot of people working to get a lot of inquiries from a lot of customers to IM.
“Because IM, right now, according to customer feedback – the driving experience, the driving quality – is amazing, they all like the car.”
While IM’s 2026 sales figure to the end of April of 330 units is modest, it is close to Genesis’ 464 tally, despite the latter fielding five models with petrol and electric options.
However, Denza (with a three-model line-up) has found 1131 customers for far this year, while the bulk of Zeekr’s 2838 sales are for the IM6-rivalling 7X (2698).
To build momentum, IM will release an updated version of the IM5 and IM6 in the second half of the year – about 12 months after the models first arrived in local showrooms.
Existing customers, however, will be able to score some of the new features via an over-the-air (OTA) software update, but it still remains unclear whether they will need to pay to upgrade.
In the first half of 2027, IM will also release its first large SUV with the LS8 – or IM8 as it is expected to be called in Australia.
The range-extender powertrain will stand it apart from the all-electric IM5 and IM6, which is expected to give it a broader appeal.
Xu said a new marketing initiative will also be launched to try and raise awareness of the brand, but he ultimately believes IM can co-exist alongside Denza and Zeekr due to its unique characteristics.
“I think we just will enhance this positioning that IM should be the best driving experience in this country, and in the future we will develop the digital chassis version 2.0 or 3.0,” Xu said.
“IM will build a fantastic driving EV in this market, and I think customers are willing to pay more money for this value – I’m definitely sure of that.
“Denza and Zeekr, I think they do a very well job, and we hope we can get more opportunities to the Australian customer to choose – like you want the interior or you like the outlook or you want driving experience that the handling and manoeuvrability, we just provide diversity features to the customer.”
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
