Changan Benni EV
After a period in China, where i had the luck of going to the Shanghai Auto Show, i am back in the saddle of EV Sales, and ready to share some of the most interesting plug-ins of the Show. At least those that i managed to cover, as the Shanghai Auto Show is YUUUGGGEEE, imagine 5 times the size of the Geneva Auto Show and you have an idea of the size of it. BYD Song: Now with PHEV and BEV versions, with the first doing 0-100 kms/h in 4.9 secs and the second having 300 kms range, specs of this VW Tiguan-sized crossover are up with the best. BYD Yuan - The smallest of BYD Crossovers has a rather funky look, sometimes reminding the Renault Captur, other times the Ford Ecosport, 100% BYD are the specs shared with its larger Song sibling. Yep, this small Crossover is said to make 0-100 kms/h in 4.9 seconds on the PHEV version. BYD Tang 100 - Now with fancier badges and longer range ("100" refers to the electric range), the Tang is something General Motors could have done if they had decided to put the Voltec drivetrain in one of their Crossovers/SUV's.
But because they haven't, this is currently the only SUV with decent electric range on the market. Changan Benni EV: Toyota Yaris-sized EV, with 210 kms range. Quality design, but needs more electric range to stand out. VW Phideon GTE - A good idea and better looks, but the 14kWh battery only allows 50 kms electric range. The Zotye E30 looks better. Zotye Z500 EV - Turns out, Zotye also wants to make decent electric sedans! Cadillac CT6 PHEV - Big barge with big battery (18 kWh), allowing 60 kms electric range for 80.000 USD. Worst things have came out of Cadillac. Link & Co - The most popular stand at the Shanghai Auto Show, irreverence was the token word here, a sort of Smart meets Mini. In the future, this could be the right counter weight to the serious, premium Volvo in the Geely Group. Said to have a plug-in hybrid in 2018, this could be the first Chinese brand to really breakout in Western markets.
NIO ES8 - The former NextEV startup transformed itself in the Nio brand and presented the ES8, a 100% electric full-size SUV, a rather handsome beast scheduled to be in production mode next year. Great stand by the way, reminding a bit of Ikea philosophy. Wish all the best to them! BAIC EX400: Beijing Auto is serious in beating BYD and this is possibly their most competitive product to date, with 400 kms range, the BAIC Crossover has a critical selling point over the all-electric BYD Song and Yuan. Denza EV - 400 kms electric range, Mercedes B-Class platform, plenty of space, one would think BYD would have a winner here, but it hasn't. Looking at it live, one understands why, after all design counts. Chery e5/e7 - After years banking on small city cars to provide EV's, Chery decided to go for the "Big Boys", by launching the e5, a compact sedan (In the front) and the e7 larger sedan (In the back). And of course a lineup of EV's in China wouldn't be complete without a Crossover. Here's the Chery model. JAC iEV6S - A rather striking look that is let down by poor quality interiors. Time to step up, JAC.
There are two full sets of LATCH car-seat connectors on the rear outboard seats and an upper tether anchor on the rear middle seat. The Leaf has mostly quality materials throughout its cabin, but reviewers note that some scattered hard plastics hinder the Leaf's appeal. The Leaf's hatchback body style contributes to its fantastic cargo capacity. It has 23.6 cubic feet of cargo space - more than most other compact cars. Folding the standard 60/40 split-folding seats increases cargo capacity to 30 cubic feet. On the downside, the seats don't fold completely flat, and small-item storage is limited. Standard features include an infotainment system with a 5-inch display, Bluetooth, satellite radio, and four speakers. Available features include a 7-inch touch screen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, six speakers, voice recognition, HD Radio, navigation, and a 7-speaker Bose premium audio system. The infotainment system has simple and easy-to-use menus and controls. For more information, read What Is Apple CarPlay?
