The electric car market is on the move. While this could even mean trouble for old hands like Tesla, BMW or VW, customers can look forward to new designs and a breath of fresh air from more competition. Seven exciting brands are coming to Germany soon and will be really involved.
Tesla sets the tone for electric cars practically all over the world. But no one knows if it will stay that way. Even Elon Musk has cause for concern. It’s worth taking a look at what’s to come. Because many young car manufacturers want to follow Tesla and become a new hit. Seven of them should soon be on German roads.
Ora by Great Wall Motor
Of the Chinese car company Great Wall Motors (GWM) will probably be one of the big names in the future when it comes to electric cars. Compared to many other manufacturers who want to come to Germany soon, GWM is already old: the group was founded in 1983 and has a few more years under its belt than Tesla.
With Ora, GWM is sending an interesting electronic brand onto the German market: Das Compact model Ora Cat should actually be able to be ordered by German customers last year. Delays, especially with e-cars, are currently nothing unusual in the industry. There is therefore no fixed start date.
Visually, the small Stromer is reminiscent of a Cross between Mini and Opel Adam and is aimed at young customers who do not (yet) need a huge SUV – an exception to this list. The Ora Cat should particularly convince with a proud maximum range. Depending on the choice of battery, up to 400 km should be possible – a long distance for the compact car. However, you should be a little more careful with the information provided by the Chinese manufacturers than with VW and Co. A price of around 30,000 euros is expected at the start.
Wey from GWM
GWM is letting two brands loose in parallel on the home market of VW and Co. If Ora is primarily aimed at price-conscious customers, Wey wants to serve exactly the other side. Wey is considered the luxury brand of GWM. However, it is not a pure electric brand. The luxury SUV Coffee 01, a plug-in hybrid, is therefore to be launched on the German market.
Among those, however, he is a laudable exception, because the SUV is considered PHEV with the longest electric range at all. 150 km are possible without having to resort to the combustion engine. In terms of price, the Chinese origin benefits German buyers. The attractive luxury electric car should start at 50,000 euros – hardly worth mentioning for the premium segment. Wey accepts pre-orders via the app, but there is no start date yet.
Lucid: The Tesla competitor from the USA
Lucid is Tesla’s competitor from the very beginning. Among other things, the American company is making a name for itself with a range. The first model should soon be launched on the German market, the first deliveries are planned for summer 2022 – European premiere.
Lucid doesn’t make a mess in Germany, it’s made of big stuff. Because the US carmaker starts directly with its most powerful model, the Lucid Air. The maximum range with the appropriate configuration should 830 km be. The Lucid brand was and is intended as an alternative to Tesla. It’s clear that the Air will be in direct competition with Tesla’s No. 1, the Model S. Customers will also notice this when looking at the price. It starts in the USA at just under 88,000 US dollars, the top version costs a proud 179,000 dollars.
Nio: e-cars with exchangeable batteries
Don’t wait much longer, then e-cars from the Chinese manufacturer will come No, also Germany. The Stromer are already available in Norway, the model country for e-mobility. In addition to Germany, the market launch is also planned for Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands at the end of 2022.
The first model of the Chinese will be the ET7, an electric sedan. That alone sets you apart from the SUV-heavy e-car market. But one peculiarity of Nio is much more crucial. The Chinese brand relies on exchangeable batteries at home from the start and wants to do the same in Germany. Instead of putting up with long charging times, customers should be able to simply exchange an almost empty battery for a fresh one at special Nio exchange stations. After a few minutes it starts again.
However, the system has one disadvantage: instead of using its own battery, which is part of the e-car, Nio relies on battery rental – which of course makes sense given the regular changes. But that’s not exactly cheap either: In Norway, it costs Standard battery Nio drivers converted around 136 euros per month.
That adds up to the purchase price. How high it will be has not yet been determined. In China, the equivalent of around 46,000 euros is due. If you want, you can probably also buy a battery – for a tidy surcharge, after all it is the most expensive component in electric cars.
Togg: Turkey’s first
Togg should already be known to those familiar with the scene. The carmaker from Turkey touches down Germany as the first foreign market for its electric SUV. The ID.4 competitor should have a range of between 300 and 500 km, depending on the battery size. There is no price yet.
The next model will be an electric sedan, followed by three more electric cars from the new brand. The company, which was only founded in 2018, has targeted the market launch for 2023. Togg is Turkey’s first domestic carmaker.
VinFast: Premium competition from Vietnam
VinFast is also the first car producer in its homeland: Vietnam. The company, which was founded in 2017, wants to launch its first two e-cars worldwide this year: the premium SUVs VF8 and VF9. Well-known support from Italy has been secured for this. The design at VinFast comes from Pininfarina, who are also responsible for the design language of many Ferrari, Ford and Peugeot models. The Italian design studio also has its own electric car at the start, which is one of the fastest in the world.
VF8 and the larger VF9 with seven seats are already available to order. With the smaller SUV, up to 471 km are possible without a charging stop, cost: from 43,900 euros. Battery rental is not included in the Vietnamese either, which adds another 120 euros a month. The VF9 should even come to 594 km, it is offered at prices starting at 58,650 euros. The battery rental is also more expensive at 150 euros.
The unique selling point of VinFast is the long guarantee: The battery has to last 10 years or 200,000 km, without falling below 70 percent of its initial capacity. Other manufacturers cannot keep up.
Airways has been there for a long time
Aiways is an early starter. The Chinese’s first electric car has been available in Germany since 2020: an all-electric SUV called the U5. This year the number 2 should come to Europe, logically called U6. A crossover coupé awaits us. If you look at the advance praise for Skoda’s Enyaq iV Coupé RS, this could be just the right body for the German market.
A strong range of over 500 km can be expected from the U6, which also has advantages in the wind tunnel compared to bulkier SUVs with its more pleasing shape. Aiways has not yet revealed the price, but it should definitely be more expensive than the around 38,000 euros for the U5.
Sono Motors: German newcomer
The only German newcomer on this list is Sono Motors. The Bavarian e-car startup stands out from the previous offer. Because in addition to the usual power supply via battery, this is Model Sion practically covered with solar cells, 456 pieces in number. The 54 kWh battery alone is said to have a range of 300 km, thanks to additional solar power an average of 112 km should be added, even on cloudless days up to 245 km extra.
Sono Motors states the purchase price at 28,500 euros, but there is an optically compact Stromer that will bring a lot of storage space – up to 1,250 l with the rear seat folded down. Production is scheduled to start in 2023. Interested parties can already secure a model for a deposit of 500 euros. But: Sono Motors already had a few problems along the way, and could ultimately stay afloat with donations. Buyers should keep that in mind.