SAIC and Volvo China employees founded the car company Aiways in 2017 to produce all-electric cars. The first model was the Aiways U5, a 4.7-meter long battery SUV that only reached the market in the summer of 2020 and has sold poorly so far. In spite of this, the company has now revealed a second production model.
The U6 Ion Concept from last year turned into a coupe-like SUV named the U6. Despite
being identical to the U5 in terms of powertrain, the new car has its own
styling and interior. The main exterior differences include headlights, a body
kit, and an all-glass roof 2.1 square meters large.
While the U5 has three mid-size displays
in the cabin, the U6 has only two, and the digital dash screen is quite tiny.
The central display measures 14.6 inches across, the steering wheel has two
spokes, and there is a lever where the transmission knob used to be.
Inexplicably, the HVAC controls now reside on the center tunnel. The U6 comes
powered by a single front-axle motor rated at 190 PS and 315
Nm of torque. The drive stays on the front axle, although AWD is
something the company says it is considering for future releases. Getting from
zero to 100 km/h takes 7.6 seconds.
Batteries come in sizes of 53 and 63
kilowatt-hours, which translates into 400 and 500 kilometers of NEDC-rated driving range, respectively. A top spec is also in the works that
should be capable of covering up to 650 km on a charge. Sales will
begin later this year, and prices are still pending. The Aiways U5 costs
between US$ 26,000 and US$ 39,000 in China.
The company’s next production car will
likely be a large three-row crossover SUV based on the U7 Ion Concept.
