China’s biggest online commerce company, Alibaba, announced its first luxury EV has entered mass production and will begin shipping later this month to take on Tesla. In partnership with IM Motors and SAIC, the IM L7 Sedan is a premium electric vehicle costing less than the competition.

We got our first look at the luxury IM L7 at the Auto Shanghai car show in early 2021, teasing a huge 39-inch widescreen dash display, fast 0-60 speeds, and models reaching a range of over 500-miles per charge. By December, the vehicle had passed several test runs throughout China, and a batch of beta models got dispatched to select users to test.

However, now the fancy Tesla alternative is ready to hit the streets, with mass production fully underway at SAIC’s factory in Shanghai. According to Alibaba, it will go on sale starting March 29th, with orders shipping throughout April. The all-new IM L7 luxury EV sedan costs 408,800 yuan, or $64,000.

1 of 3

IM Motors

IM Motors

IM Motors

In comparison, Tesla’s Model S runs around $90,000 in the United States, making China’s offering quite a bit cheaper. So what are Chinese EV buyers getting for that price tag? As you can see, the car has a sleek and stylish modern design, tons of technology packed inside, and plenty of power.

IM Motors added a giant 39-inch widescreen display above the steering wheel for all kinds of information and smart controls, not to mention a secondary 12.8-inch infotainment display sitting pretty low on the center console. There’s even an LED display inside the tail light bar, which can display info such as “baby on board.”

As far as other technology goes, you get a powerful 22-speaker, 1,120W sound system, 12 high precision cameras for safety features, autonomous driving on the highway with semi-autonomously in the city, and the vehicle can apparently park itself, among other things.

Propelling the IM L7 is a dual electric motor configuration offering a combined output of around 536 hp, capable of reaching 0-60 in only 3.9 seconds. And while that’s not as fast as the Model S Plaid, it’s more than enough for most. Powering everything is a 93-kWh battery pack capable of 382 miles per charge, but some reports suggest a larger option will be available topping 500 miles. There’s also some sort of 11-kW wireless charging function, fast charging capabilities, and more.

That all sounds pretty great, and you’re probably wondering how you can order one. Well, unfortunately, it looks like you’ll only be able to get it in China, at least for now. So far, the stylish IM L7 electric vehicle is not available on Alibaba’s e-commerce site or any of its sister sites, but it could end up on the “Amazon of China” later this year as production continues.

Source: Alizila