IM Motors arrives in Singapore with a two-pronged assault on the luxury EV market. The IM 6 SUV boasts Ferrari-baiting speed, and the IM 5 sedan, an uncanny physical resemblance to a certain electric Porsche
In Singapore, an annual road tax bill of S$8,434 carries a specific implication. It means that you own something loud, Italian, and almost certainly impractical—a naturally aspirated V12 that announces its presence long before you catch a glimpse of it. It does not, by any reasonable expectation, mean that you own a family SUV. But IM Motors has other ideas with its IM 6 Performance.
Beneath its coupe-SUV silhouette lies a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive set-up producing 767hp (572kW) and 802Nm of torque. Put your foot down and this car will rearrange your internal organs—or at the very least, extract a yelp from the passenger beside you, even one who thought she was prepared.
The century sprint takes 3.48 seconds. You are, in essence, buying Ferrari-level acceleration at a fraction of the Italian asking price. That a machine weighing over 2.4 tonnes can move with such ferocity, while cornering with an agility that seems to quietly ridicule the laws of physics, is something you have to experience to believe.
Almost all-rounded
For those still navigating the proliferation of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) entering the market, IM Motors—which stands for Intelligence in Motion—is the premium arm of SAIC Motor. Think of it as Lexus to Toyota, with MG occupying the mainstream role in that analogy. The brand has arrived in Singapore with two different propositions, and in doing so, has wasted no time announcing its range.
After two days in the gravitational pull of the IM 6 Performance, I hand back the keys and step into its sibling: the IM 5 sedan. Testing them in this order, I later realise, is like watching a high-octane film sequel before sitting down with the original novel. You cannot help but view the sedan through the heightened lens of the SUV.
Visually, the IM 5 is a head-turner, its sweeping lines and grand-tourer proportions bearing more than a passing resemblance to Porsche’s Taycan. Dynamically, however, it serves a different purpose.
Driven by a single rear motor producing 146bhp (109kW), it makes no pretence of matching the IM 6’s off-the-line ferocity. On paper, the 0–100km/h figure of 10.1 seconds reads as unhurried. But EV numbers are reliably deceptive. With 450Nm of instantaneous torque—more than a base Taycan, as it happens—the IM 5 feels brisker in practice. It trades brute force for composure and proves to be a capable daily cruiser through city traffic.
Manners maketh the machine
Yet for all their differences in character, the most quietly impressive quality these two cars share has nothing to do with kilowatts or aerodynamic drag. It is their digital etiquette. The modern luxury car has become a neurotic presence: beeping aggressively, flashing red warnings, and delivering haptic shudders through the steering wheel at the slightest lane deviation. The IM range takes a different approach.
The chimes and alerts rank among the most considered on the market. Stray from your lane and the car offers a gentle, melodic nudge. Approach the vehicle ahead a touch too quickly and it issues a mild, almost apologetic signal, much akin to the automotive equivalent of a polite clearing of the throat.
In the end, no direct comparison between the two is necessary, or particularly useful. The IM 6 Performance is an engineering statement for the driver who wants supercar pace without supercar compromises, road tax aside. The IM 5 is an elegant, unhurried sanctuary for the pragmatic urbanite. As opening gambits go, IM Motors could hardly have chosen better.
