Legend has it that Joseph Stalin was once asked why the communist regime under his leadership continued to have trade relations with the West. “Let the capitalists sell us everything they want,” he replied. “One day will come and they will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.”
This strategy has been implemented in the last decade by the Chinese automobile industry. The Chinese acquired the best production technologies of the West, signed supply contracts and collaborations with leading global suppliers, invested capital in assimilating Western standards, and recruited senior managers from the Western automobile industry to their ranks.
Take for example the WEY brand of the Chinese company Great Wall, which landed in Israel this month. The manufacturer invested a huge amount of money in the development of the brand in order to make it its flagship brand in the markets of the West and not necessarily in China itself. And the result, let’s go ahead and say it, is very impressive.
China and Europe
Even before we deal with the car itself, we will first focus on two cultural issues. The first is the problem of the Chinese adopting catchy names in English. The car of the brand is called “Coffee 01” (in China it is called “Mocha”). It’s a nice name for a food product manufacturer, but a little less appropriate for the world of luxury cars.
The second issue is the tendency to adopt designs inspired by Western models, to put it mildly. If the vehicle reminds you of the BMW X5 or the Jaguar F-TYPE, it may not be by chance. Either way, the design is eye-friendly, which moderates the respectable physical dimensions of the vehicle.
The first breakthrough is encountered in the passenger compartment. We have yet to come across a Chinese vehicle that manages to accurately reproduce the feeling of European luxury vehicles with extraordinary attention to detail in the finish, assembly and quality of the materials: door trims sewn in a checkered pattern, magnificent leather upholstery, soft plastic covering every corner and calm and pleasant colors.
The interior design maintains the luxurious and understated style of the exterior design, and the command set looks like it was cut and pasted from the last generation Range Rover models. In addition, the external noise isolation is one of the best in the industry.
In all matters of human engineering, traces of Chinese origin can still be found in cells. The huge set of menus on the giant screen can provide full employment even for a bored hi-techist, and like Tesla, there are almost no physical switches in the cabin. As a compensation there is a “voice assistant” with artificial intelligence that works quickly and with impressive efficiency.
To the left of the steering wheel there is also an “optical driver monitoring sensor” that will scold you if you take your eyes off the road in favor of your phone. There is also a wide head-up display system (HUD) with augmented reality like in fighter planes, a huge panoramic roof, and other comfort equipment that is difficult to get as standard even in vehicles that cost 100 thousand shekels more. There are also many active safety systems, although the vehicle’s lane keeping assist system is one of the most annoying on the market.
The cabin itself is very spacious and will accommodate three adults in the back without a problem. On the other hand, the volume of the trunk is comparable to that of a typical family car, and it is doubtful that it will be able to accommodate the luggage of five adults traveling to Israel.
110 km on electricity
The drive system is equipped with “extended range plug-in drive”, a genre that is very popular in China. This system combines a pair of powerful electric motors and batteries larger than those of normal plug-in vehicles, and in the case of the Coffee, it is a 36.6 kilowatt hour battery. There is also a 2-liter gasoline engine whose main function is to act as a generator to charge the battery while driving and to take command when the battery is depleted.
The advantage is an impressive electric range, up to 146 km in WLTP, which theoretically allows for daily trips on electricity alone and a total range of over 800 km. Under optimal conditions, we managed to move on electricity alone for a distance of almost 110 km. Those who make sure to charge the vehicle regularly and do not exceed the range limit, will achieve very impressive savings figures.
On the other hand, under real conditions, every healthy press on the pedal, transfer to sports mode, acceleration uphill or transition to the “self-charging” mode of the battery, puts the gasoline engine into intensive operation and brings the consumption to the territory of 14-15 km per liter. This happens often Because the sporty mode is very tempting with the acceleration of a fast sports car (zero to 100 in 5 seconds).
The pleasant and smooth transfer of power between the electric and gasoline engines, and the efficiency of the braking energy recycling system must be positively noted.
from the first line
Another breakthrough is the road capability. Although it is not about sharp capabilities like BMW and Co., but they still return a respectable amount of feedback. The shock isolation is on par with the best European premium cars, and the directional stability at high speeds is impressive. We drove on Route 6 and the vehicle crossed the flooded roads with absolute confidence. On the other hand, with 21-inch rims and a weight of over two and a quarter tons, maneuvering on crowded city streets may be clumsy.
The trip was an eye-opening experience for us. This is a Chinese car that feels as if it just left the R&D and production facilities in Stuttgart and not in Shanghai. And at a price that starts at NIS 269,000 and goes up to NIS 300,000 after the tax increase in January, its pricing in relation to the specifications and value is attractive.
At this point, we don’t see many customers in Israel who will replace their Mercedes, or their Ranger Rover with an unknown Chinese brand, even if it costs half as much. However, for the Western automakers who continue to translate their brand names into an inflated price tag, this vehicle must be a wake-up call, with three exclamation marks.
Some of the competitions
Link and line 01
NIS 230,000 is the base price of the GEELY plug-in vehicle. The passenger cabin is spacious, luxurious and well-equipped, and stands on a wheelbase of 2.73 m. The drive includes an electric motor and a rechargeable battery with a combined power of 261 hp with an electric range of up to 75 km.
Link and line 01 / Photo: Yeh’ach
DS7 E-TENSE 300
The plug-in version with 300 hp of the DS7 from the French premium brand costs NIS 333,000. The dimensions are respectable and the passenger compartment is luxurious. The vehicle combines a turbo gasoline engine, two electric motors and a 13.7 kW battery and is capable of moving on electricity for a range of up to 63 km.
DS7 E-TENSE 300 / Photo: Yeh”c
Kia Sorento plug-in
The Kia Sorento plug-in costs NIS 310,000. The design is conservative, but the cabin is innovative. It combines a 1.6-liter turbo engine with a charged electric motor with a combined power of 265 hp. The vehicle accelerates to 100 in 8.4 seconds and achieves an electric range of up to 57 km.
Kia Sorento Plug-in / Photo: Yeh’ach