Baojun, the Chinese brand owned by the
SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture, will have a very busy 2020. The company plans to
launch six all-new vehicles this year, including the RC-5 you see here. The
newest member of Baojun’s young lineup is a compact liftback that replaces the
630 sedan, which launched in 2011 as the brand’s first car.
Inspired by the larger RC-6, the Baojun RC-5
adopts a five-door body with fastback styling along with the brand’s new
interstellar geometry language and diamond-shaped logo. The front end looks
similar to Baojun’s latest models (the RS-3, RS-5, and RM-5) in the sense that
it features split headlights with thin horizontal DRLs at the top and the main
units placed lower down. The grille is most similar to the RM-5 minivan, both
when it comes to the shape and the inserts. Seen from the side, the Baojun RC-5
looks very much like the larger RC-6, except the lower ground clearance and
different designs for the headlights and taillights.
For now, we don’t get to see what the interior
looks like but the RC-5 is expected to take inspiration from the RC-6 as well
and adopt a widescreen cockpit layout comprised of a digital instrument panel
alongside the main display. The company says the RC-5 will feature an advanced
IOT (Internet of things) connectivity system.
According to Chinese media, the Baojun RC-5 is
4,650-mm long, 1,806-mm wide and 1,458-mm high,
with a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. These dimensions make it similar to the previous-generation
Skoda Octavia. The engine lineup is said to consist of two four-cylinder
gasoline engines: a 99 PS naturally aspirated 1.5-liter and a 147 PS turbocharged 1.5-liter. A six-speed manual gearbox will be standard
and automatic Baojun will release more details about the RC-5 closer to its
launch later this year.
