Brilliance are prepping their first SUV for a launch at the years end according to media reports, the V5 (formerly known as codename A3) will be launched towards the end of the year with a potential Guangzhou Auto Show launch on the cards. The SUV was initially planned to be launched at the Shanghai Auto Show this year but apparently BMW were not too pleased with their Chinese partner launching an SUV that looked awfully similar to their own BMW X1 SUV so BMW asked them to delay the launch until they got their locally produced X1 into the market. The new SUV carries on Brilliance’s design language from the H530 and is quite possibly one of the first Chinese manufacturers to have a coherent design language running through out its lineup.
V5 will carry a Mitsubishi 1.6l engine with 119hp and 151nm and Brilliance’s own 1.5 turbo with 136hp and 200nm. Transmission: 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic while speculated price is to start around 85,000 yuan (11.4 lac PKR)
Rumor has it that BMW were unhappy with Brilliance for practically cloning the X1 and then putting it on show before BMW had a chance to launch their own locally made BMW X1 2.0T. Several of Brilliance’s own car models have BMW overtones within their design, partly as a nod to their Bavarian brothers clean line designs, but the V5 SUV was the first time that Brilliance had taken a liberal Xerox approach to BMW’s styling.
When the V5 SUV will launch is now a mystery, as BMW did not launch the locally built X1 at this Shanghai Auto Show, it might be that Brilliance will have to wait until 2012 Beijing Auto Show if BMW are going to launch at the years end Guangzhou Auto Show.
comparison with the X1
