Aiways U5, the first Chinese electric car to be sold in Europe

On November 29, the Aiways U5, an electric SUV, will be launched in China. It is expected to be well received by buyers in the Asian country, but it will not only be present in the Chinese market; it will also reach the markets of European countries. And the Aiways U5 will also be the first electric car to arrive from China.

The Chinese brand has gone through a long process to homologate and certify the car so that it can be sold in Europe, and it has obtained all the necessary permits to do so. Now we will have to wait until the second quarter of 2020 to see it in the European countries chosen for its initial rollout.

Several Chinese manufacturers want to position their cars on our continent, but standing out among the various models already on sale in Europe will be quite a challenge. The main weapon of this 100% electric SUV is to offer European buyers the features we like, small details that set us apart from Chinese buyers.

The problem is that the Chinese car industry does not have the good reputation that other products coming from this country enjoy, such as technology or mobile phones. Other manufacturers have tried to enter the European continent before, but they have not managed to push this process through. Aiways wants to be the bridgehead and open up the market, being the first and positioning itself ahead of the competition.

In China, the Aiways U5 can be purchased at prices ranging from 200,000 to 300,000 yuan depending on the variant, which at the exchange rate represents between 26,000 and 39,000 euros. When it arrives in Europe, the Aiways U5 will do so through local partners, with exclusive stores, shared dealerships and renting plans. The price they expect to offer will be around 25,000 euros, considerably less than a similar vehicle manufactured in the United States or Europe.

Features of the Aiways U5

We do not know the configuration that will arrive in Europe, but recently we saw an Aiways U5 that made a trip from China to Frankfurt. This variant covered 15,022 kilometers, departing from Xi’an on July 17 and arriving in Frankfurt on September 7, travelling through 12 countries along the ancient Silk Road, and used a 65 kWh battery. The motor it uses delivers a power of 140 kW, which represents 190 CV, and a maximum torque of 315 Nm. The range of the electric SUV is 460 kilometers on the NEDC cycle. We do not know whether this will be the European configuration, but we will find out soon.