The Chinese firm Chery unveils the new version of its eQ1 (Ant), a very low-cost electric city car that could make its arrival in Europe. Thus, it will compete with the Dacia Spring, with an entry ticket under 10,000 euros.
Not a day goes by that you don’t hear about a Chinese brand. And for good reason, these are more and more present on the market, and above all, they are growing very strongly in power. So much so that their evolution worries specialists but also manufacturers, like Tesla, which made an incredible drop in prices a few weeks ago. Of course, we think of MG, which is expanding the range of its compact MG4, but it is not the only brand to want to develop here.
A new version
This is also the case for Nio, BYD and even Xpeng, to name but a few. But now another will also try to overshadow them, as well as traditional manufacturers. This is Chery, which in 2017 unveiled its Omoda 5, a large seven-seater SUV designed for Europe. Since then, no more news while his arrival would be scheduled for this year according to the site Top Electric SUV.
But the firm continues on its way and has just lifted the veil on a new creation, which adopts a completely different positioning. To tell the truth, it is not a new model strictly speaking but aa small update of an already existing car, the eQ1. It is then a small city car, marketed in China since 2016 and which has not left the country at all for the moment.
displaying a length of only 3.20 meters for 1.67 meters wide and 1.55 meters high, this adorable little car then competes head-on with two newcomers: the Baic Jiabao and the Geometry Panda Mini. Some might also find it a little resemblance to the Toyota IQ, at the rear part. According to the website It Homeit is dressed in a body entirely made of aluminum, which should allow it to display a contained weight.
The car has two doors and can accommodate up to four people on board. The driving position of this new version does not change one iota and remains identical to that of the version renewed in 2021. We then find a 10.1 inch touch screen in a vertical position like at Volvo or Renault. The brand does not specify whether it is compatible with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Up to 408 kilometers of range
The driver and his passenger can then take advantage of electric leather seats as well as the smartphone charging by induction, while the endowment is rather basic. But what interests us is above all what is hidden under the hood of the city car, which should compete with the Dacia Spring if it ends up arriving at home. Thus, it comes in three battery sizes, namely 28.8, 29.2 and 40.6kWhoffering an autonomy oscillating between 251 and 408 kilometers of autonomy according to the official site.
Data to be taken with a grain of salt since it is based on the CLTC Chinese homologation cycle, much less strict than our WLTP. It will then be necessary rather to rely on 213 to 346 kilometers with us. For comparison, the Dacia Spring has a 27.4 kWh battery, allowing it to travel up to 230 kilometers on a single charge. Its power varies between 33 kW and 48 kW (44 and 65 horsepower) in its new Extreme version, against 30 and 50 kW (about 40 and 68 horsepower) for the eQ1.
This is then compatible with fast charging, the power of which has not been communicated, allowing it to go from 30 to 80% in 40 minutes. For the record, the Spring can collect up to 30 kW in direct current to recharge, and performs the exercise in about 30 minutes. This new arrival is distinguished above all by its price, from 69,999 yuan, approximately 9,618 euros. Dacia’s low-cost city car starts at 20,800 euros.
Thus, the Chery eQ1 would be eligible for the ecological bonus if it were marketed here, unless the government decided to reserve it only for models manufactured in Europe. But beware, remember that the price of Chinese electric cars is much higher once they are exported to Europe.
“Chinese car” no longer necessarily rhymes with “low-cost”. Indeed, Chinese manufacturers setting up in Europe display their models at prices very close to “traditional” manufacturers, and therefore sometimes very far from…
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