BAW, a car manufacturer that separated from BAIC a few years ago, has founded a sub-brand named Jishi and has now revealed what its first production car will look like. Spoiler alert: it looks like somebody was desperate to copy the Land Rover Defender 130.
The full model designation is Jishi 01. From the design standpoint, it is an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid SUV with a rugged and masculine exterior. It is set to debut with full specs tomorrow, August 22, but the company has already posted its photos on Weibo.
Back when the automaker patented the SUV in June, it went under the codename ‘Stone 01’. As evidenced by the newly released images, the company positions it as a good choice for picnics and camping. The interior can accommodate six or seven seats, but the middle row will always offer two separate seats.
The front panel has a digital dashboard on it and an infotainment widescreen, which apparently doubles as an HVAC control panel – at least, there is no dedicated climate control pad in sight. The center console between the seats has two wireless charging pads, and an extra display for the rear seat occupants is mounted at the ceiling.
The tailgate swings open to reveal a kitchenette complete with a faucet and a folding table for cooking out in the open.
Size-wise, the SUV is stated to be 5,050 mm long (5,295 mm if you include the spare tire carrier), 1,980 mm wide and 1,869 mm tall with 3,010 mm between the axles. A 204-PS (201-hp / 150-kW) electric motor drives the front axle, and a stronger 272-PS (268-hp / 200-kW) motor drives the rear one.
The battery stores only 56 kilowatt-hours of energy, which gives Jishi 01 just 235 km (146 miles) of WLTC-rated range. However, a 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinder on board can be used to top it up, extending the range to 1,115 km (693 miles).