A new 100% electric Chinese SUV is arriving in Europe: the Aiways U5
- On the European markets, some Chinese brands are already operating, such as MG, Great Wall, JAC. But these brands are sold in very confidential quantities (less than a thousand in 2020). Only the MG brand managed to sell notable volumes, with 25,641 units sold in Europe in 2020, but of which 70% are destined to the UK market.
- MG's main model is the ZS SUV (B-segment) which was sold at nearly 16,000 units in 2020, including 9,000 in 100% electric version (BEV) and nearly 7,000 in thermal version.
- SAIC, owner of the MG brand, does not stop there, having just launched a new brand in Europe: Aiways. The first model of this new brand, the U5, is also an SUV, of D-segment (4.68m in length) and 100% electric.
- The Aiways U5 saw its production start in Shanghai in December 2019 and its sales began in Europe in December 2020. SAIC created the Aiways brand to differentiate these “premium” models from the more affordable MG models in terms of price and performance. The U5's battery + electric powertrain give it an announced range of more than 400 km (WLTP cycle), for an kerb weight of 1,730 kg.
- Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) represent 5% of the European market in 2020 and this market share will grow over the next ten years. The arrival in mass volume of BEVs from Chinese carmakers on the European market is still difficult to forecast. Nonetheless, the need to supply the European market with vehicles at reasonable prices for a clientele that will increasingly be electrically oriented, opens the way to opportunities for Chinese carmakers.
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