Bright spots of SAIC’s self-owned brands at Auto Shanghai 2021

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- At the Auto Shanghai 2021, SAIC Motor's self-owned PV brands—Roewe, MG and R Auto—all brought their newest products. Notably, the auto giant also caused many heads to turn with an independent booth particularly set for the newborn EV brand IM.

Roewe revealed the Jing (literally translating as whale), the new RX5 PLUS and the iMAX 8 four-seater version at the auto show.

Roewe Jing; photo credit: Roewe

As Roewe's all-new SUV model, the Jing adopts the “Rhythmic Awakening” design, delivering a sci-fi and fashionable overall visual effect. The model at Roewe's booth is actually a near-production concept. The vertical bars of the grille resemble a filter-feeding system found inside the mouths of Baleen whales, making the car's relation to the whale more apparent. The new SUV is said to hit the market in the second half of 2021.

All-new RX5 Plus; photo credit: Roewe

Compared to the outgoing model, the refreshed RX5 PLUS adopts a very aggressive front and a newly-designed rear spoiler, which conveys a stronger visual impact. There aren't a lot of changes on the interior of the vehicle. Notably, the multimedia system was traded for the VENUS system supplied by Banma Network Technology, an IoV (Internet of Vehicles) solution provider initiated by SAIC Motor and Alibaba.

The new RX5 PLUS is equipped with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that churns out up to 133kW and 285 N·m, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The four-seater version of the iMAX 8 basically follows the exterior styling of the existing model. The most noticeable change resides in the seating arrangement. Designed to seat four passengers, the vehicle's cockpit contains two airline seats at the back row to improve the comfortability and upscale sense for passengers.

MG Cyberster; photo credit: MG

MG showcased its bold new Cyberster sports car concept at the Shanghai motor show. The electric two-door roadster is intended to preview the technologies and design cues used by upcoming MG models, while inherits the classic roadster styling of the historically past model, the MGB.

MG said the Cyberster carries an 8-layer Hair-pin electric motor that enables the car to zip from 0-100km/h within 3 seconds. Thanks to the CTP (cell-to-pack) technology, the Cyberster has a range of 800km. It will also feature 5G connectivity capability.

ES33; photo credit: R Auto

R Auto, a premium full-electric EV sub-brand of SAIC Motor, offered the public the first glimpse of the mass-production-ready ES33, which is set to take on the models like the Geely's ZEEKR 001.

Positioned as a full-sized SUV, the ES33 will feature a futuristic design and a digital smart cockpit that uses the full-stack high-level driving automation solution PP-CEM.

There are 33 sensors aboard the ES33, including laser radars, cameras, 4D imaging radars and ultrasonic radars. The LiDAR sensors are supplied by the U.S.-based LiDAR company Luminar.

Computing power for the ES33 comes from NVIDIA, whose DRIVE AGX Orin chip is purpose-designed to support high-level autonomous driving and can perform 500 to 1000 plus TOPS of computing power.

IM L7; photo credit: IM

IM, the premium EV brand SAIC Motor jointly develops with Alibaba and Shanghai's Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Group, announced that the “Angle Round” version of the L7, its first mass-produced model, is priced at 408,800 yuan ($62,690) for presale. The vehicle is expected for delivery in the first quarter of 2022.

IM L7; photo credit: IM

The L7 features a pretty slim car body and frameless doors. The automaker said its drag coefficient is 0.21Cd.

The car model measures 5,098mm long and has a wheelbase spanning 3,100mm, which are close to that of the long-wheelbase BMW 5 Series.

Using wireless charging function, the L7 can be charged with around 10.5 kWh of battery capacity per hour, which can offer NEDC-rated range of 70 to 80km.

IM LS7; photo credit: Gasgoo

IM Airo concept; photo credit: Gasgoo

Meanwhile, IM also drew attention of many viewers by displaying two concepts, the LS7 and the Airo.