Chery Electric FX: New Model Making Waves in Israeli Market

2024-01-21 16:49:30

in short:

• Chery is also starting to market an electric vehicle in Israel
• The importer: The electric FX is leaving the borders of China for the first time
• In the meantime, it will be the importer’s only electric model

Last year, the Chinese Chery in Israel sold 2,646 cars of the FX model only, a compact recreational vehicle that fits exactly into the fastest growing and most significant category in the local automotive world when it comes to electricity. It is no coincidence that the best-selling car in Israel in 2023 and by a huge margin came from there, the BYD Eto3. But Chery did it with a gasoline model, even a symbolic electric motor for the sake of the hybrid definition is not in it. By the way, the other Chery models that arrived in Israel a little over a year ago are also gasoline powered, and all together sold over 11,000 cars in a marketing achievement that even the optimists among the Frisbee people (then still under the name Kerso) did not think possible.

We have already written about the electric version of the FX several times, including revealing exclusive photos when it first landed in Israel. The basis is the same as FX gasoline, as the T1X platform was originally designed for both gasoline and electric (or hybrid) engines. The chassis is similar to the gasoline version – with the exception of minor changes such as a sealed grille, other lighting units and no rear exhausts – and places it in the core of the local vehicle category against BYD Eto3, Geely Geometric C and the like.

The dimensions are unchanged, with 424 cm in length, 183 cm in width, 159 cm in height and a wheelbase of 263 cm. The curb weight is about 1.8 tons and the volume of the trunk is 380 liters. 18″ rims and 215-55 tires are responsible for the matching to the ground.

An electric motor with 204 hp (a figure that has surprisingly become uniform at the top of the category) drives the front wheels and 61 kWh batteries should provide an official range of 430 km. An hour from 10% to 80% battery.

In the driver’s area there are a pair of 12.3″ screens, one a dashboard and the other a touch screen. Between the seats there are large storage compartments instead of a gear selector, there is support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with wireless connectivity and an overhead display on the windshield. The safety system includes everything that the Che ry to offer today, including, among others, autonomous braking (including pedestrians and two-wheelers as well as in reverse), lane keeping, adaptive cruise control and blind spot warning and driver alertness.

The price: from NIS 153,000 for the Copmort version to NIS 168,000 for the Noble version with two-tone painting. According to the importer, this price is expected to change during 2024 in a way that will reflect the reduction of the tax benefit on electric vehicles that came into effect on January 1, 2024, but the first 1,500 cars that arrived right at the beginning of the year were excluded from it. The importer also clarifies that the price increase will be spread over the course of the year, and will not be done all at once but in several increases.

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