China NEV Weekly Episode 6: A bang and a Byton

China NEV Weekly

We continue with a new episode of China NEV Weekly, bringing you the latest New Energy Vehicles from China. This week with a bang, a Byton, and Ford’s new friend.

Byton SIV

Byton is yet another new Chinese startup EV brand,  founded earlier this year by a team of mostly German executives who mostly used to work for BMW. The company is headquartered in Nanjing. Naturally, their first car will be an electric SUV, called the SIV. That stands for: Smart Intuitive Vehicle.

The Byton SIV SUV will debut  on January 7 at CES Las Vegas. Production is set to start in early 2019, with a launch in Q4 2019. Price will start around 300.000 yuan, or $45,300, which is rather pricey compared with other electric SUVs of similar size and kind. The SIV will be equipped for Level 3 autonomous driving, and its range will range from 350 to 500 kilometers, depending on battery pack.

Roewe Marvel X

A beautiful name for a beautiful car. The Roewe Marvel X is the EV version of the upcoming Roewe RX9 SUV. Roewe is a brand under the SAIC conglomerate, best known for its joint ventures with General Motors, and Volkswagen. Roewe has been on a roll recently, every car they launch looks great and is packed with technology. The Marvel X will launch early next year as the new flagship of the brand. It will be equipped with Alibaba’s Yun OS,

The Marvel X will be powered by two electric motors, good for a combined output of 187 hp. Top speed is an impressive 170 kilometers per hour, and that makes it the second-fastest Chinese EV after the NIO ES8. The Marvel X is 4.7 meters long and seats 7. It will hit the Chinese car market in Q1 2018 for about 250.000 yuan or $38.000.

BYD Tang

BYD has released the first images of their new Tang SUV PHEV, and the Tang comes with a bang. The hybrid-electric drive train combines a 2.0 turbo with two electric motors. Combined output is a hefty 505 horses, good for a 0-100 in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour. The old Tang had a very similar drive train, but it needed an endless 4.9 seconds to hit the hundred. Progress = 0.4 seconds.

The new Tang is the second BYD designed by new chief designer Wolfgang Egger, who came over from Audi. His first creation in China was the well-received BYD Song Max.

Zotye Domy mini EV

This little white pretty is a new mini EV by Domy. It is just under three meters long, it will seat two, and it will get power from a 47 hp electric motor. Top speed is barely decent 105 kilometers per hour. Launch is scheduled for Q1 next year, with a price tag of about 70.000 yuan or $10.600.

Domy, or Damai in Chinese, is a brand under China’s copy cat automaker Zotye. Last month Ford and Zotye announced a joint venture to build cheap EVs for the masses under yet another new brand-name. The joint venture will use exiting Zotye platforms combined with some Ford technology. One of their first cars will be based on exact the same platform as this new mini.

Chery Karry K60 EV

Karry is a brand under Chery. Originally, Karry only made small-commercial vehicles (Karry as in carry things), but lately Chery has re-positioned Karry as a general budget brand. One of their budget cars is the the K60, a small petrol powered MPV that mainly finds buyers in China’s second and third tier cities.

The K60 EV ditches the petrol engine for an electric motor with an output of 107 horses, which is enough to propel the 4.6 meter long seven-seater to a 110 km/h top speed. Range is 250 kilometers. The K60 EV will launch just before the end of the year. But it will soon face serious competition: Many Chinese automakers make these small MPVs, and most of them are developing electric versions. Next year will see a lot of ‘m.

More NEV next week!

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