If a fully-electric premium SUV like the Tesla Model
X, Audi e-tron or Mercedes EQC is outside your price range, then you might just
be in luck because China’s Aiways has been pitching its U5 SUV as a more
affordable alternative to such cars.
After bringing the U5 to Beijing in concept form,
the Chinese startup now has a production-ready version, which aims to become
one of the safest and most advanced models in Europe’s mid-size SUV segment.
While we leave it up to you to judge the U5 with regards
to styling, the SUV does come with a lot of modern exterior elements, such as
the full-LED headlights, a sharp beltline design, hidden door handles,
dual-channel rear spoiler and a continuous light strip at the rear.
It measures 4,680 mm in length, 1,880
mm in width, stands 1,680 mm tall and has a
wheelbase that spans 2,800 mm. To put it plainly, it’s
considerably smaller than a Model X or even the e-tron SUV, but is more or less
comparable in size to the Mercedes EQC.
The interior of the U5 certainly looks premium,
especially with features such as the one-piece sports seats, ambient lighting,
floating center console and available AI ID face recognition. There’s also a
“tri-fold display” in front of the driver acting as the gauge cluster, joined
by a 12.3-inch LCD infotainment display in the middle of the dashboard.
On the move, the U5 offers active safety systems
such as Automatic Queuing for Traffic Jams, Automated Highway Driving
Assistance or the All-Situation Autonomous Parking function, while over-the-air
software updates will ensure that you’re always up to date with the latest
advancements.
It all comes down to its main selling
point, which is the fact that you never have to fill it up with diesel or
petrol. The Aiways U5 utilizes a 63 kWh liquid cooled master battery back that
works in conjunction with the world’s first “AI battery pack” – acting like a
range extender. Normally, the driving range is 460 km, although
once you combine the two, you can cover more than 560 km of open
road.
As for performance, maximum power output is a modest 188 HP, while peak torque stands at 315 Nm. Add the fact
that the U5 is front-wheel drive only and you can begin to understand how it
will definitely undercut its premium European rivals when it comes to pricing.
More details regarding a release date as well as
pricing should surface in due course.
