Asking if the new IM offering could sit above the BMW i5-sized IM5 saloon and the Tesla Model Y-sized IM6 and provide a rival to the likes of the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 in the larger, seven-seat, D-segment EV market, Allison said: “Absolutely, you’re in the right area for that and equally, trying to compete outside our normal sphere of influence with the core range of cars. From a technological point of view, [it will have] really cutting-edge technology.”

In other markets, IM already has the LS8 and LS9, both huge six-seat SUVs that would comfortably sit above the IM6. However, they both feature range-extending hybrid powertrains rather than the pure-electric tech that would align with IM’s strategy in the UK. 

There’s also the LS7 SUV, which has a similar exterior design to the IM6 but is slightly larger, and shares an all-electric powertrain with the AUDI E7X. However as a five-seat only model, it’s not a competitor to the aforementioned EV9 and Ioniq 9. 

The new IM should have price on its side. Despite the premium aspirations of the IM brand and the fact it sits above MG, Allison said the price would reflect “the way we have historically operated, bringing that kind of product to market substantially less than other competitors are able to do”.

Details remain slim on the new car, but we expect it’ll receive the full suite of equipment available to the IM6, including rear-wheel steering, a party-piece ‘crab-walk’ mode, one-touch self-parking and adaptive air suspension.