Hawtai is still alive but they ain’t kicking very
hard, sales are slow and their cars are aging. On the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show
they tried to add some blood to their body with this Hawtai WS55 sedan,
sporting a distinctive Ford snout.
The WS55 however is not really new. It is basically
a facelifted and renamed variant of the Hawat Lusheng E80, which was born as the Lusheng E70 all
the way back in 2013.
Hawtai added a new front, a new rear, and a new
name, and called it a new car. Sadly, they didn’t fir any bigger wheels. The
old engine didn’t change either; a 1.5 turbo with 140 hp and 210 nm, mated to a
five-speed manual. The Hawtai WS55 will hit the market in June. Price
will range from 62.000 to 72.000 yuan, which is a tad more than the current
Lusheng E80 costs.
Glad the brand is still alive, but it seems
time they come up with something new, otherwise they will be dead within years.
They are trying now with some EV stuff but nobody is buying
because it is all based on the same old cars again.
Cr : Carnewschina
