Aiways to develop 25,000 euro e-SUV

The ambitious plans by the Sino-German EV startup Aiways are becoming more tangible. The first volume production model will be the electric SUV Aiways U5 Ion, which will hit the Chinese market in September 2019 and Germany starting in 2020.

The startup is held up by the German engineer Roland Gumpert, the product manager for the 2017 founded Chinese firm and CEO of the German counterpart.

+ + Kindly see our update below + +

Regarding the technical data behind the Aiways U5 Ion the following is already known – the vehicle has an electric motor mounted above the front axle, with a performance capacity of 140 kW and 315 Nm torque, which does not put a particularly impressive track performance in mind. The acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h can be done in “under ten seconds”, according to the manufacturers. Where the vehicle does impress is the price – €25,000 is significantly under the price for any comparable market competitor.

The range for the U5 Ion has been said to be 560 km at maximum, although the serial version of the vehicle will be fitted with a battery packet only capable of going 460 km at maximum. An additional 20 kWh battery can be rented for an additional 100 km range, which would potentially make the vehicle a fit for battery trading stations in future.

During the first year, the plan by the manufacturers is to build up to 150,000 units of the U5 Ion, before ramping up production to 300,000 units per year after that. Additionally, the EV manufacturers plan to add two new additional vehicle models per year starting in 2020. Their first flagship project was presented at the Beijing Motor Show this year with the RG Nathalie, an electric sports car that combines a 70 kWh battery with a methanol fuel cell as a range extender. Now the manufacturers are aiming to establish themselves on the mass market with the more affordable electric SUV option.

Update 24 May 2019: Aiways is apparently on the verge of securing a production license in China. It seems that Aiways wants to acquire stakes in the vehicle manufacturer Jiangling Motors (JMC). The rumour stems from finance records revealed yesterday by Chinese enterprise information data service platform, Tianyancha, and has not yet been confirmed.

auto-motor-und-sport.de (in German), autonews.gasgoo.com (update)