China’s first model to tackle Europe’s electric car
market is the Aiways U5 and as you can see, it’s an SUV. The Shanghai-based carmaker has
managed to secure all the required permits and certifications for a European
launch, and is planning on starting sales in the second quarter of 2020, stated
its co-founder Fu Qiang during an interview. The U5 will otherwise go on sale
in China this month, reports Autonews Europe.
Its debut in Europe will be closely monitored by
multiple other Chinese EV-makers that hope to achieve success on the Old
Continent. The road to drawing customers away from the likes of Tesla or the VW
Group won’t be an easy one though, despite Aiways adapting the European variant
of the U5 to local requirements.
Of course, convincing European customers that a
Chinese SUV can live up to their expectations is one of Aiways’ main
challenges, especially since other Chinese companies have failed in that
department before. On the flip side, Chinese consumer goods and mobile phone producers
have built up trust with global customers, which is something that might
translate into the automotive industry.
Aiways will launch the U5 in China on November 29,
with pricing to commence from 200,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan (US$ 29,000 to US$ 43,000).
Once in Europe, the EV-maker will try to reach
customers through pop-up stores, leasing offers and various local partners. The
starting price for the entry-level model is roughly 25,000 euros (US$ 28,000),
making the U5 considerably less expensive than its European alternatives for
this segment.
