The Weltmeister EX5 has been launched on the Chinese
car market. The EX5 is a new mid-size full electric SUV. Price, including
clean-car subsidies, starts at 149.000 yuan and ends at 216.300 yuan.
The company doesn’t have dealers yet. Buyers can
only order the EX5 directly from the factory. Nice. But what about service..?
They say they will open ‘brand experience centers’ but when and where is
unclear. WM Motors calls their sales system C2M, customer-to-manufacturer.
About 21 days after the order the vehicle will be delivered at the home of the
buyer. The order books are open but WM
Motors says the “bulk” of deliveries will only start in the second half of the
year.
There are three versions: the EX5 300 with a 300
kilometer range, the EX400 with a 400 kilometer range, and the EX500 with a 460
kilometer range. The electric motor is the same in all versions, with an output of 218
hp and 315 Nm. A full charge on 220V takes 10.7 hours. Weltmeister claims that
charging from 30% to 80% takes just 42 minutes. Power train setup: the battery
pack is located under the floor in the center of the car, the motor is located
over the front axle. Size is 4585/1835/1672 mm, wheelbase is 2703 mm.
The dash comes with a 12.3 inch digital dashboard
and a 12.8 inch rotating screen. The screen can rotate 90 degrees from
landscape to portrait and back. There is also an air purification system,
cleaning up the smoggy Chinese air for the cabin’s occupants. The sound system
has 11 speakers. The EX5 is equipped with an advanced infotainment system that has an
interesting function called WM ID. When you enter the car for the first time
the system scans your face.
The next time you approach the vehicle a face
recognition sensor in the B-pillar will recognize you and allow you to open the
door and start the car. Your face and your setting will be uploaded to the
Weltmeister cloud. When you enter another EX5, one you have rented for example, the
system will again recognize you and apply all your settings in the other car. The B-pillar based face
recognition system in action, saying “Ni hao Wesley”. It also shows the
charging percentage and range.
The new Weltmeister EX5. A nice looking car with a
proper range, interesting technology, and a decent price. But it will be a hard
sell nevertheless, as long as there isn’t a real dealer and service network.
