KATHMANDU: Recently, BYD launched its second SUV, the Sealion 7, in Nepal. Priced at Rs. 7.299 million, the Sealion 7 is expected to face competition from IM Motors’ IM 6, which is set to enter the market soon.
In terms of pricing, both vehicles are expected to be in a similar range. The IM 6 is being brought to Nepal by Paramount Motors, the official distributor of MG.
In China, both IM Motors and MG Motors are owned by the same SAIC Group. Therefore, Paramount Motors sources confirmed that the IM 6 will be sold through MG showrooms.
“We will start selling the IM 6 within the next week. Currently, 10 units of the IM 6 are already on Nepali roads. We are preparing to launch the IM 6 in the market at the upcoming NAIMA Nepal Mobility Expo,” a company source said.
As the premium crossover segment rapidly expands, competition is set to intensify. Until now, only the Deepal S07 was available in this segment. Now, two more models are joining the fray.
Size comparison
In terms of size, the IM 6 appears larger. It has a length of 4,904 mm, width of 1,988 mm, height of 1,669 mm and a wheelbase of 2,950 mm.
The BYD Sealion 7 measures 4,830 mm in length, 1,925 mm in width and 1,620 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2,930 mm. The IM 6 is larger in all aspects. However, both vehicles offer the same 20-inch wheel size.
Technical features
The BYD Sealion 7 is equipped with a 15.6-inch rotary center touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12-speaker in-car audio system, vehicle-to-load function, front and rear parking sensors, cell-to-body technology and a front double-wishbone and rear multi-link suspension setup. It also includes BYD’s God’s Eye driving assist (ADAS).
Both vehicles are packed with cutting-edge features. The IM 6 comes with One-Touch iAD (intelligent automated driving) smart driving assist system which the company claims makes the car 6.7 times safer than a human driver. The company also claims to have used 300 parking sensors in the vehicle. The SAIC Group has equipped the crossover SUV with high-precision LiDAR, NVIDIA’s Drive Orin chip and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SA8295P platform for the cockpit.
Battery size and motor
The BYD Sealion 7 features an 82.56 kWh battery, certified by WLTP to provide a range of 482 km. It is powered by a 100 kW motor.
The IM 6 comes with a 75 kWh ternary lithium battery, offering a WLTP-certified range of 450 km. It is likely to be equipped with a 109 kW motor in Nepal. The BYD Sealion 7 leads in battery capacity, while the IM 6 comes with a slightly more powerful motor.
