Get ready, Tesla, because a Chinese electric model is arriving in the United States to compete on the same ground

The market for electric cars is getting bigger all the time, at least as far as manufacturers willing to build this type of vehicle are concerned. We don’t know whether the day will come when electric vehicles become something for all of us, but for now it is high-performance sports cars that seem to be pulling ahead and carving out a place in the market.

Tesla appears to be the one succeeding, and its 100% electric models are, at least, the best known. But there are manufacturers emerging and managing to carve out a place in a market that seems about to take off. In fact, the latest challenger to Tesla is about to land in the United States, and it is a Chinese brand, ready to rival the company founded by Elon Musk.

Qiantu is a Chinese brand that has begun producing an electric coupé, which it calls K50, and with which it wants to begin operating in the United States. To do so, Qiantu has partnered with Mullen Technologies, a California company with which it will launch a joint venture to homologate the K50 and start production on American soil.

The performance of the American version is not yet known, although spokespeople for Mullen Technologies say that carbon fibre will feature prominently in the bodywork. As for the electric powertrain, a power output of 300 kW is mentioned, equivalent to 402 CV. As for the Chinese version of the K50, it is slightly more powerful, with 320 kW, the equivalent of 420 CV, and it offers a maximum torque of 680 Nm.

The Qiantu uses a 78 kWh battery that powers two electric motors. With these figures, it reaches 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds and achieves a top speed of 200 km/h. The K50’s theoretical range is 380 kilometres, so it offers good figures for claiming a share of the coveted pie.

The interior of the Chinese version features heated leather sports seats. The instrument display is 10.1 inches, and there is a 15.1-inch screen for the information and entertainment system. It uses voice recognition technology, with 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity. The price of the American version is not known, but we do know that the Chinese one costs something close to 110,000 dollars, so the American model may also come in around this price.

It will be available from 2020, so we will not be long in learning details of the model, so that the first orders can be received from mid next year.