The JAC-Volkswagen joint venture has just unveiled
their new SOL E20X, a cheap electric car for the Chinese masses. But it is not
a really new car, the SOL E20Xis basically just a slightly reworked and
rebadged JAC iEV7S.
The JAC costs 119.500 yuan after subsidies. It is
powered by an electric motor with 116 hp and 270 Nm, and it has a range of 280
kilometers.
The SOL E20X uses the exact same power train.
Earlier on we heard it was rated at 114 horses, but today they claimed 116, the
same as the JAC. Range however is 300 kilometers (NEDC), a full 20 more than
the JAC. Where did those kilometers come from? The battery is the same as well.
The E20X will hit the Chinese car market in early
H2. It will be followed by an electric minicar and by an electric sedan, all
based on existing JAC EVs. The English brand name is SOL. The Chinese name is
Sihao (思皓), a combination of characters that doesn’t really
have a meaning.
There are some Seat design elements visible here and
there, and that is because Volkswagen originally planned to call the brand
Seat, but the Chinese government didn’t allow that, and after some
deliberations they decided to go for SOL, which means sun in Spanish. Seat is
Spanish too, so that is the connection. But the car has otherwise nothing to do
with Seat, there is no Seat platform underneath, no Seat body, no Seat nothing.
Badge on the left: JAC-Volkswagen. In the middle the
SOL logo and name. On the right the E20X and government-EV badges.
