Coming to us in 2025
The iCar is alive – and we’ve driven it
Fans of Apple's iPhones, iPads & Co have been hoping and waiting for an iCar for years. Voilá: We have already driven the iCar! To be more precise, the iCar 03. However, it has nothing to do with the longing vehicle, but comes from the Chinese Chery Group. However, it is no less cool - and doesn't even need the famous name. It will lose that on its way to Europe anyway. As will the low price.
To wrap this up briefly: Apple recently discontinued the car project; however, the car wouldn't have been called iCar anyway, but Apple Car, because Chery owns the rights to the name.
The real iCar wins hearts without the company from Cupertino/California in the background, thanks to its body, which could be the middle sibling between the Suzuki Jimny and Land Rover Defender. Although the cheeky round headlights of the Suzuki are missing, the LED lights also have character. Especially because they represent the "i" brand logo.
The shape is boxy like that of the aforementioned role models, 4.41 meters long, just under Tiguan format, with a width of 1.91 meters and a height of 1.72 meters in the data sheet. The rear door is hinged at the side and, depending on the version, an extra box is attached to it, which looks like a spare wheel cover but is actually a storage compartment for the charging cable, among other things. The area above the beltline is trimmed in black, which further enhances the Defender effect.
Despite its appearance, the Sympathie Stromer is hardly suitable for rough terrain, as the ground clearance is 17 centimetres.
Everything is very solid
The doors open firmly and close tightly; even with the windows open, nothing sounds tinny, which is even the case with some established manufacturers on the domestic market. It all feels very confidence-inspiring.
There is plenty of space inside, thanks to the wheelbase of 2.72 meters. The floor in front of the rear bench is flat throughout, and passengers are seated airily in all directions. The cockpit is elegantly off-road, with very appealing materials characterizing the picture - at least in the top equipment we drove. Here too: Top haptics. Lots of artificial leather, light-colored imitation wood that almost looks real, plus a two-tone steering wheel with touch elements on the spokes (this is still in vogue in China, while here - especially at VW - sensible buttons are already making a comeback).
Two solid handles on the center console, with a cup holder, cell phone charging tray and a rotary driving mode switch made of crystal in between. The door handles are also solid, the fastening screws are conspicuously staged and the doors open electrically at the touch of a button.
Assistance systems like Tesla
There are no buttons, everything is controlled via the large touchscreen. There is also a lot to do, because the top version of the iCar has all the electronic tricks, from autonomous parking to automated driving including lane changes.
The iCar does without radar and ultrasound. As with Tesla, the assistance systems (they come from DJI) will have to leave everything to the cameras. During test drives in cars from the US company, this approach proved to be prone to errors. It will be interesting to see how this works at Chery.
Pure electric platform
The iCar is built on a new electric platform and offers rear or all-wheel drive as well as a choice of two LFP batteries from CATL. The larger one has a capacity of 69.8 kWh, which is enough for 501 kilometers according to the Chinese CLTC standard. According to WLTP, there will probably be a little more than 400 kilometers left.
The car can run at speeds of up to 175 km/h. The dual-motor version delivers 205 kW/279 hp and sprints from zero to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds.
Test drive on monitored Chinese roads
And then I sit behind the wheel of the iCar 03. An adventure, my first time on public Chinese roads. Everything in the car feels modern, I engage the gearshift with the delicate but sturdy steering column lever and roll out of the dealer's yard in Wuhu, where Chery has its headquarters.
The roads are almost completely monitored by countless cameras; in China you generally feel like you're under constant surveillance. Nevertheless, we give the iCar a break from time to time and let it off the leash. The 6.5 seconds are credible and run fairly silently. Only a minimal whirring reaches our ears, and even then only when the power is fully called up. We don't dare exceed 100 km/h, at this speed there is still no wind noise to be heard (in a Dacia Duster you can already hear a clear roar at 80 km/h).
Later, I can really push the car on a closed-off area. Slalom, emergency braking, the whole nine yards. You can feel that it is a new, modern platform. The steering is precise and not (much) too light in sport mode. A little more commitment to the road and a slightly firmer suspension would still be desirable. But that is the difference between Chinese and German or Austrian expectations. It is conceivable that there will be some fine-tuning when the car comes onto the market here.
iCar 03 comes as Jaecoo J6
The good news: the iCar 03 is also coming to us. The bad news: it won't be called that, but Jaecoo J6. As a result, it will lose the dainty, stylish logo on the front and instead feature a bold Jaecoo lettering, which doesn't look particularly good.
The even worse news: the Chinese prices won't make it to us either. In China, they are asking around 24,000 euros for the fully equipped top version, while the rear-wheel drive base model with the smaller battery is on offer for a good 15,000. This already has the panoramic glass roof as standard and is also well equipped in other respects. Let's wait and see how Chery approaches pricing.
Two new brands this year
Initially, the group plans to enter the Austrian market this year with the new brands Omoda and Jaecoo, which have been created exclusively for export. The launch is scheduled for late summer/autumn. The groundwork is currently being laid and negotiations with importers/dealers are in the hot phase. The first two vehicles are called Omoda 5 and Jaecoo J7.
When will the Jaecoo J6 aka iCar 03 arrive? Probably next year.
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