Tag Archives: Chery

News

The new Freelander is an EV but not a Land Rover

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From 1997 to 2015, Land Rover produced a compact SUV built on a body-on-frame chassis, the Land Rover Freelander. 14 years later this model is coming back but as a series of electric vehicles that will be produced in China.

Land Rover in China has a partner company and EV manufacturer, Chery, which will produce electric cars based on its own platform but as a separate sub-brand. The goal is mainstream electric vehicles, more affordable than what Land Rover currently offers. Design-wise, the cars will be a combination of Land Rover and Chery.

These two companies have been cooperating for years, since 2012, and the result of that partnership is the Discovery Sport, Evoque, E-Pace, and extended XF and XE models. Little is known about the Freelander, but some media in China say it could be mechanically related to the Exeed, a Chery sub-brand that will arrive in Europe by 2026.

It should also be noted that initially the cars will be sold only in China, but there are plans to export them to the global market.

Source: Land Rover

EV

2025 Luxeed R7 SUV

After the Luxeed S7 model, the Chinese tech giant Huawei in cooperation with the automobile manufacturer Chery developed a new coupe SUV, the Luxeed R7. It is an elegant and spacious car, and the first photos were published on the social media Weibo.

The exterior of the car is similar to the previous models on which these two Chinese companies collaborated: Aito, Luxeed and Stelato. The CEO of the Consumer BG at Huawei Technologies, Yu Chengdong, said that the R7 represents a revolution and that the new model will surpass rivals that produce premium cars.

It is equipped with LED headlights, ADAS sensors, and LiDAR on the roof, which are connected to Huawei’s Qiankun ADS 3.0 automated driving system. The interior of the SUV is still unknown, but some published photos hint that it could be equipped with a 15.6-inch screen with Huawei’s HarmonyOS system like the one found in the S7 model.

According to Car News China, the BEV and EREV versions of the Luxeed R7 will use an 800V architecture and high-voltage silicon carbide batteries. It will be available with one electric motor (292 hp/218 kW) or with two electric motors with a total output of 496 hp (370 kW) with a maximum range of 855 km.

Source: Car News China, Huawei

News

Leapmotor T03 will be produced in Poland

Chinese car manufacturers are trying in every way to avoid problems with importing electric cars to the European market, and one of the ways is production on European soil. After BYD and Chery decided to produce their cars on European soil, another Chinese company will do the same. Leapmotor has announced that it will assemble its small electric car, the T03, in Poland.

In October 2023, Stellantis formed a joint venture with Leapmotor, where the world’s largest conglomerate will have a 51 percent stake with the rights to export, sell and manufacture Leapmotor electric vehicles outside of China. Stellantis’ factory in Poland will be the place where the T03 will be produced, and production will start in Q2 of this year.

The car will be manufactured using SKD assembly, which is the simplest way to assemble the car. It should be noted that the Fiat 500 and Jeep Avenger are produced in the same factory. Currently, T03 can be bought in France, and the plan is to expand to other European markets.

In 2023, Stellantis bought 20% of Leapmotor for €1.5 billion. It was a good financial injection for the Chinese company, which will improve its sales results in the domestic market, but also expand its business outside of China. Shares of Leapmotor have risen about 22 percent in Hong Kong in 2023, making the company’s market value exceed $5.4 billion. On that occasion, the company’s founder Zhu Jiangming said: “Today it is a great milestone in Leapmotor’s history, and I am thrilled to witness this moment together with Mr. Tavares and his team. We believe in win-win partnerships formed by strong players in the fast-evolving environment. Working with Stellantis, we will continue to be innovative and creative in technology and business synergies and will bring Leapmotor EV cars to the global market.”

Source: Reuters, Photo: CNEV

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Leapmotor T03 will be produced in Poland