Chery iCAR 03 went on the market, starting at 109,800 yuan.
On February 28th, Chery New Energy iCAR 03 was officially launched on the market. Six new models were launched, with the price range of 109.8-169.8 million yuan, including three two-wheel drive models and three four-wheel drive models. It is understood that iCAR 03 is the first model of iCAR Automobile, positioning a hard-core pure electric SUV, making its debut at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show, based on the i-MS multi-element Rubik’s Cube new energy architecture.
In terms of appearance, iCAR 03 is built in a fairly hard-core design language, and there is almost no rounded line design on it. The front face adopts a closed grille shape, and the "iCAR" brand logo is also designed in the center of the front of the car. The headlights with inverted "L" shapes on both sides are also integrated with the front of the car, and the internal light source layout is also very chic. After lighting, it has a high degree of recognition. In addition, the new car is equipped with a large front enclosure, and the overall gas field looks more domineering.
On the side of the car body, iCAR 03 adopts a straight waistline design, and the black wheel eyebrows and side skirts below with off-road tires further emphasize the off-road positioning of the car. In the rear part, the overall style of iCAR 03 is consistent with the front face, and the taillights are vertically distributed on both sides, and an I-shaped light source is integrated inside, which can form a good echo effect with its brand Logo. In addition, the rear enclosure of the new car is also quite wide, which can form a good echo effect with the front enclosure design, and it is also equipped with an external "small schoolbag" with a storage box inside. In terms of size, the length, width and height of the new car are 4406/1910/1715mm, respectively, and the wheelbase is 2715mm, positioning a compact pure electric SUV.
Entering the car, the new car also adopts a very hard-core design style. With the blessing of various colors and materials, the interior of the car shows an overall atmosphere different from that of ordinary family cars. ICAR 03 adopts symmetrical layout, a large central control screen occupies position C, and the through design under the center console expands the internal storage space, which is convenient for storing and taking daily necessities. In the lower sub-instrument panel area, iCAR 03 also designs a knob similar to crystal material, which we guess can control the related functions of the vehicle. ICAR 03 adopts a three-position steering wheel, which simplifies the button design and cooperates with the wheel for functional operation.
In terms of configuration, iCAR 03 will be equipped with 6-way electric adjustable seat, dual-zone automatic air conditioner, air outlet of rear air conditioner, roof rack and other configurations as standard, and the middle and high-end models will also be equipped with higher-level configurations such as 8155 chip, NFC key, wireless fast charging of 50W mobile phone, four-tone voice interaction, steering wheel heating, front seat heating, main seat ventilation/massage, Infinity 12 speaker sound and electric tailgate.
In terms of power, the new car is available in single/dual-motor versions, in which the maximum power of the single-motor version is 135 kW (184 HP) and the maximum power of the dual-motor four-wheel drive version is 205 kW (279 HP). In addition, the new car will be equipped with iWD intelligent electric four-wheel drive and adopt H-arm multi-link and hydraulic bushing chassis structure, which can provide a variety of driving modes to meet various car scenes.
Generally speaking, iCAR 03 has certain competitive advantages. Its hard-core off-road design style is more sought after by young consumers, and it is also competitive as a pure electric SUV with a price of 140,000-190,000 yuan. However, the disadvantages of iCAR 03 are also obvious. Its 8155 chip is not standard in all systems, and the performance of the two-wheel drive version is not outstanding enough. The longest battery life of 501km is not as good as that of other electric vehicles on the market, which may be more focused on performance.
At present, Chery’s Chery, Xingtu and Jietu brands have all completed the layout of new energy, and the iCAR brand represented by young and cool has also started the model building of new market segments. It is understood that iCAR was released on the eve of the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show. It is the first new energy automobile brand under Chery Automobile. iCAR GT (concept car) and iCAR 03 were released at the auto show. It is understood that iCAR is mainly oriented to the price range of 150,000 yuan, first from A0 to the mainstream market layout of A-class cars, and then B-class cars will be launched.
According to the retail data, the cumulative sales volume of Chery New Energy in 2023 was 107,909 vehicles, of which the highest-selling model was Chery QQ ice cream with 67,787 vehicles, followed by Chery Ant with 26,750 vehicles. As a new layout of Chery Automobile in the field of new energy vehicles, it remains to be seen whether iCAR 03 can become the next explosion.