Automaker GAC has opened the pre-order books for its opulent, six-seat, part-electric SUV, the Trumpchi ES9. It can charge up from a wall socket and starts from 300,000 Yuan, Autohome reports.
The company unveiled its ultimate flagship for the next couple of years at the Chengdu Motor Show late this summer. From a purely technical perspective, the car is a second-gen GS8 with some modifications slapped on, but GAC believed the scope of mods to be sufficient for a new model release.
On the outside, the ES9 primarily stands out thanks to a new radiator grille and bumpers. Opting for a trim called Traveler gets you a tailgate box for tools and miscellaneous items, among other things. The box also adds to the total body length, resulting in a car that’s 5,110 mm long, 1,976 mm wide and 1,780 mm tall (inches: 199.6 x 77.2 x 69.5). The wheelbase stays unchanged from the GS8 at 2,920 mm (114 inches).
Buyers can choose between 19- and 20-inch wheels. The interior is largely identical to that of the GS8, too.
The powertrain is plug-in hybrid and combines a 2.0-liter turbo four-pot making 190 PS (187 hp / 140 kW) of its own with an electric motor adding another 150 PS (148 hp / 110 kW). A 25.57-kWh traction battery yields up to 143 km (89 miles) of CLTC-rated range, but if you go hybrid instead of all-electric, it extends to 1,215 km (755 miles).
Buyers can pre-order the ES9 in five exterior colors and three interior trim schemes.