In January this year, BAIC-owned car brand Arcfox rolled out a design study called Koala, which it aimed at young mothers and their babies with a number of specialized features on board. Rewind to September, and the company has just reported receiving enough positive feedback to start production. You can already place a pre-order from 131,800 Yuan, CarNewsChina says.
The compact van is 4.5 meters long with 2.82 meters of wheelbase and sports a laconic design all around. It offers an extended set of base trim features, including a rear-row monitoring camera, an AC with a fine particle filter, and a UV emitter for disinfection that can be activated manually or automatically as long as there is no one in the car.
The rear seats are separate. One of the seats has a back that reclines by 140 degrees for rest, while the other one has mounting points for a baby seat. Designed by Arcfox specifically for this van alone, it is designed to be particularly safe and robust and can be automatically lowered into a horizontal position using built-in servomotors. The rear row also provides handrails for easier getting in and out of the vehicle.
Judging by the photos made at the launch event, the center console in front of the back row conceals a folding table inside that you can pull out, unfold and use for changing diapers.
Power for the Arcfox Koala comes from a single front-axle electric motor rated at 163 PS (161 hp / 120 kW). A 58.8-kWh battery grants up to 500 km (310 miles) of driving range per charge.