FAW-VW to Launch “Kaili” Brand EV | ChinaAutoWeb
The latest bulletin of upcoming new vehicles from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reveals that FAW-Volkswagen is preparing to release an all-electric car, coded FV7002, under the new, China-only brand "Kaili."
Several sino-foreign joint ventures (GAC-Honda, Dongfeng-Honda, Dongfeng-Nissan, SGMW, etc.) have launched or plan to launch marques specifically for the Chinese market, partly to satisfy the government’s demand for them to contribute more to the native industry.
FAW-VW announced its "South China Strategy" in late 2009, an expansion plan that includes building a new sedan factory with a designed annual capacity of 300,000 units in Foshan, Nanhai of Guangdong Province. Construction, however, did not start last year as originally scheduled; the government reportedly put forward additional requests before giving the go-ahead, the most important of which was said to be for a "native brand." Thus comes "Kaili."
The FV7002, the upcoming Kaili EV listed on the bulletin, is generally interpreted as a derivative of the Bora blue-e-motion displayed at last year’s Guangzhou Auto Show. With a 20kWh-capacity lithium-ion battery pack, the Bora EV can cover up to 150km on one charge. Its electric motor can put out a maximum of 160Nm of torque and 65kW of power.
Below: Bora blue-e-motion from 2010 Guangzhou Auto Show