Five more Chinese EVs you’ve never heard of

The Chinese battery electric vehicle market just keeps on rolling.

Most BEVs launched in the world’s biggest car market are for domestic consumption only, but it’s always instructive and enjoyable to see what’s emerging.

This time round, it’s not only individual vehicles but a new brand being launched too.

Bestune E05

Bestune is a brand established by FAW, or First Auto Works, a state-owned enterprise which was founded in 1953.

Bestune, then known as Besturn, kicked off in 2006. It makes both ICE and electrified vehicles.

Classified as an MPV, the E05 is powered by a 141kW/320Nm electric motor mated to a 61kWh battery good for a 450km NEDC range.

The design highlight is a sliding door on the right and  a normal door on the left.

Byd Qin Plus

BYD stands for Build Your Dreams. It’s a privately-owned electric vehicle (PHEV and BEV) maker that’s attracted plenty of attention because of backing from billionaire Warren Buffett.

More recently it’s been linked with an Australian launch in 2021.

Following on from the handsome Han EV revealed last year, the Qin Plus is a compact sedan powered by a petrol-electric PHEV drivetrain. Claimed fuel consumption is only 3.8L/100km.

There’s no shortage of marketing names on offer here. The underpinning platform is dubbed DM-i, the PHEV system is known as ‘Snap Cloud’ and the battery has been branded ‘Blade’ by BYD.

Hongqi E-QM5

Hongqi is another subsidiary of FAW, with a focus on luxury motoring. Its designer is the former design boss at Rolls-Royce, Giles Taylor.

The E-QM5 is a sedan based on a new EV platform. Power comes from a 140kW electric motor and the claimed range will be around 430km (NEDC).

The big deal with the E-QM5 is its dramatic front-end styling treatment, which includes hood ornaments and vertical chrome strips. Hmmm…

Weltmeister W6

Weltmeister – or WM Motor – is an EV specialist founded in 2015 by a former Geely executive.

WM has had electrified models on sale since 2018 and is now launching the compact W6.

The W6 gets a single electric motor with 162kW. Range is expected to be around 450km NEDC.

Measuring up at 4.62m long, the W6 squeezes in seven seats, which is pretty impressive.

Weltmeister also claims it’s going to have level 4 autonomous driving capability thanks to a tie-up with China’s version of Google, Baidu.

Intelligence in Motion/Zhiji Auto

Zhiji is a new BEV brand emerging from a joint-venture between two of the real heavy-hitters of Chinese business – SAIC and Alibaba.

SAIC – or Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation as it used to be known – is one of the big four state-owned Chinese car companies.

Alibaba is claimed to be the world’s largest retailer and e-commerce company, so it’s got reasonable heft too.

Zhiji Auto, which is also known as IM, or Intelligence in Motion, in English, plans to launch a BEV sedan this year and an SUV in 2021.

The unnamed but good looking sedan will  get a 400kW/700Nm drivetrain powered by a choice of 93 or 115kWh battery packs. The claimed NEDC range is 874km.

Zhiji has hired Williams Advanced Engineering (a relation of the F1 team) to help sort out the driving behaviour, while another English entity, Heatherwick Studio, has developed the look.