As a leading independent brand in China, Chery Automobile has been committed to building high-quality, cost-effective and high-tech automobile products to meet the needs of different consumers. In April this year, Chery Automobile officially released its brand-new iCAR brand, anchoring the new youth market, covering multiple product sequences such as cars and SUVs, providing intelligent solutions for system scenarios, and positioning itself to cut into the passenger car market of 150,000-300,000 yuan.

As the first model of iCAR brand, iCAR 03 made a stunning appearance at this year’s Shanghai International Auto Show, which aroused widespread concern. This car is positioned as a pure electric hard-core SUV, relying on four technical fields of Chery Group and S5X electric platform, equipped with i-MS multi-element Rubik’s Cube new energy architecture and i-VA ecology, with intelligent real-time electric four-wheel drive, all-aluminum body structure and integrated die-casting longitudinal beam, as well as all-aluminum H-arm suspension, high bionic seat and large-size damping software. Recently, according to official news, iCAR 03 is expected to be officially listed at the end of September, and the estimated price is around 150,000 yuan.

So, what are the highlights and advantages of this car? Let’s take a look.

In terms of appearance, iCAR 03 adopts the design language of square box style, the convex front bumper and large-size wheel eyebrows are angular, and a large number of straight-line designs highlight the hard-core off-road characteristics. The front face is designed with a closed air intake grille, and the headlights on both sides are also unique in shape. The interior of the headlights has also been carefully designed. The middle of the grille is a brand-new "I"-shaped logo, and the lower surrounding design is also very off-road. The side of the car body looks simple, adopting the popular hidden door handle design, straight line design on the side, black wheel eyebrows with large wheels. The external storage box at the tail is quite unique. The taillights on both sides are vertical and the internal light source has been designed.

In terms of interior, iCAR 03 looks simple and technical as a whole, with a large central control screen in the middle and support for OTA upgrade and voice control. Below the central control screen are air conditioning outlets and some physical buttons. The steering wheel adopts a three-piece design, and a large area of soft material is used for wrapping, which has a good performance in texture. The dashboard is a full LCD screen, and can display a variety of information and modes. The seat is made of high bionic material and has the functions of heating, ventilation and massage. It is also worth mentioning that the auxiliary instrument panel has a large storage space, and there are handrails on both sides to facilitate the operation of drivers and passengers. There is also a mobile phone wireless charging area at the front end, and an open water cup slot at the back.

In terms of power, iCAR 03 will provide two versions of single motor and double motor. The maximum power of single motor version is 135kW, and that of double motor version is 70kW+135kW. As for the battery, iCAR 03 will be equipped with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited lithium iron phosphate battery, which will be packaged by Qida Power, and the capacity will be 65kWh and 69Wh. According to official estimates, the cruising range of iCAR 03 will reach 500 kilometers. In addition, iCAR 03 is also equipped with a solar charging system, and solar panels are integrated in the front hatch cover and roof skylight, which are used as on-board solar power generation components to provide additional power for the whole vehicle. It is officially claimed that in Shanghai, for example, on-board solar energy will probably provide vehicles with more than 2,000 kilometers of battery life throughout the year, and external solar energy will provide vehicles with more than 7,000 kilometers of battery life throughout the year.

In terms of safety, iCAR 03 will be equipped with the intelligent driving assistance system i-Drive independently developed by Chery Automobile, including ACC adaptive cruise, AEB automatic emergency braking, LKA lane keeping, LCA parallel assistance, BSD blind spot monitoring, RCPA reversing warning and other functions. In addition, iCAR 03 will also be equipped with 360-degree panoramic image, TPMS tire pressure monitoring, EPB electronic parking and other functions.

Summary: Chery iCAR 03, as a pure electric hard-core SUV, has good performance and competitiveness in terms of appearance, interior, power and configuration. This car not only meets the needs of new young people for fashion personality, but also meets their needs for off-road performance and intelligent technology. I believe that this car will bring more surprises and choices to consumers after it goes on the market.

Changan Auchan, as a sub-brand of Changan, shares the technology R&D, procurement and manufacturing system with Changan Automobile, so what is the performance of Changan Auchan Z6 iDD? Let’s understand the real evaluation of the owner:

1. Sufficient power reserve

Changan Auchan Z6 iDD is equipped with a 1.5T engine +110kW drive motor, which matches the 6th gear powershift. The acceleration time of the vehicle is 7.4 seconds and the maximum speed can reach 200km/h.. Compared with many compact plug-in SUVs, Auchan Z6 iDD has advantages in acceleration performance and extreme speed, and can drive at will on both urban roads and high speed.

2. The car cost is low.

Chang ‘an Auchan Z6 iDD has a NEDC pure electric cruising range of 150 kilometers, which can meet the needs of commuting when driving in urban areas every day, and basically does not need to use fuel. Thanks to the Blue Whale 1.5T hybrid engine and the powertrain of 6th-speed powershift, the vehicle can achieve 6L/100km fuel consumption in the state of power loss and direct drive. Even at high speed, the fuel consumption of Auchan Z6 iDD will not exceed 7L/100km.

3. The space is practical enough.

Although Auchan Z6 iDD is a compact SUV, its body size is not excellent in its class, but the rear platform in the car is completely flat, the rear space is spacious, and the leg space and head space are very large. The trunk space is also very spacious, the volume is larger than many compact SUVs, and there are many storage spaces in the front and rear rows of the car, which is very practical.

4. high price–performance ratio

The official guide price of Changan Auchan Z6 iDD is 15.58-17.58 million yuan. Now, under the preferential policies, the price of bare cars remains around 13-15 million yuan. Compared with many compact plug-in SUVs on the market, the advantages of Auchan Z6 iDD are that the whole system comes standard with a long battery life of 150KM, as well as 360 panoramic images, cruise control, keyless entry, electric adjustment of the main driver’s seat, central control of three screens, intelligent voice assistant, independent air outlets in the rear row and other configurations. Combined with the advantages of strong vehicle power, low vehicle cost and large space, the discounted Auchan Z6 iDD is very cost-effective.

5. Insufficient market recognition

Changan’s iDD is a relatively new hybrid technology, and its performance in durability, reliability and stability needs to be tested in the long-term market. As a sub-brand of Changan, Changan Auchan’s market recognition is also insufficient, and Auchan’s logo is more like the logo of a brand-name car in the eyes of many people. It should be pointed out that Auchan is not a mainstream brand.

6. The ride comfort is average

Changan Auchan Z6 iDD is equipped with a 6-speed powershift. Compared with the large-scale use of E-CVT transmission, Changan Auchan Z6 iDD can obviously feel the shift of the vehicle during driving, and its ride comfort is not as good as other new energy vehicles of the same level.

7. Chassis texture is hard.

The chassis suspension of Changan Auchan Z6 iDD adopts the combination of front McPherson and rear multi-links. During driving, the chassis texture is hard, and it has a good filtering effect on large shocks and bumps, but it has an average filtering effect on fine shocks.

8. Driving noise is loud.

According to feedback from many car owners, the sound insulation effect of Changan Auchan Z6 iDD is average, and the tire noise is obvious after the vehicle speed rises. There will be a large wind noise in the A-pillar area when driving at high speed, and the low-speed warning sound of the vehicle is too loud and the sound is relatively cheap when driving at low speed.

To sum up, if you need a car with both power and fuel consumption, large space and high cost performance, Changan Auchan Z6 iDD hybrid is worth buying. However, it is necessary to pay attention to its above shortcomings, and it is recommended to go directly to the 4s shop for test drive experience before buying.