This is a SOL. It is the name of the new Volkswagen
brand for cheap electric cars in China. SOL cars are made by a local joint
venture with China’s JAC. There has been a lot ado about the name. Volkswagen
wanted to use the Seat name. The Chinese government said no, insisting on a
Chinese name. Volkswagen then came with with a wuzzy compromise where they
would use the Chinese name of Seat (Xiyate).
The
English brand name is SOL, which means sun in Spanish. Seat is Spanish too, so
that is the connection. The Chinese name is Sihao (思皓), a combination of characters
that doesn’t really have a meaning.
The first SOL is not a new car. Not at all. It is
basically a rather lazy re-badge of the JAC iEV7S. The JAC costs only 119.500
yuan after subsidies. It is powered by an electric motor with 116 hp and 270
Nm, it has a range of 280 kilometers.
The SOL will likely be a bit more expensive, because
Volkswagen. The SOL is rated at 114 hp, good for a 130 km/h top speed. No info
on range yet, but it won’t differ much from the iEV7S. Power comes from the
same China-made motor that powers the JAC. Motor code is TZ200XSJH6. It is made
by a company called Doit, based in the great city of Hefei in Anhui Province.
Size comparison:
- SOL e-xxx: 4135/1750/1560 mm, wheelbase 2490 mm.
- JAC iEV7S: 4135/1750/1560 mm, wheelbase is 2490 mm.
For those who didn’t notice: that is EXACTLY the
same. They didn’t even bother to add a few millimeter just for the sake of it.
