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. 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. WM Motors has a factory in Suzhou with an initial annual output of 50.000 cars.

Weltmeister is a new Chinese EV brand, owned by a company called WM Motors. Weltmeister means world champion, in German. The Chinese name is Weima (威马). It too has a W and an M but the meaning is rather different; Weima means powerful horse.  The company was founded by Freeman Shen, a former hot shot executive of Geely. His co-founder calls himself Napoleon.


There are three versions: the EX5 300 with a 300 kilometer range, the EX400 with a 400 kilometer range, and the EX500 with 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.

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 EX5 has become a good looking car. Clean and modern, but not very exciting. Door handles click open when you approach the car, in Tesla-style.


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.