China-based premium vehicle manufacturer Hongqi has established a new subsidiary named New Energy. The newborn company will specialize in developing and assembling electric cars using state-of-the-art platforms. The company’s next plans involve designing as many as 15 different vehicles for various market segments.
AutoHome adds that New Energy plans to be selling 500,000 cars powered by ‘new energy sources’ annually starting from 2025. Its name will be a standalone brand, and if you browse through the gallery, you will see that the badge resembles wings.
All New Energy cars will run on the highly digitalized FME platform unlocking new features in the powertrain electronics department.
For example, the manufacturer promises to extend the battery range to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and let drivers replenish enough charge for 350 km (217 miles) within just five minutes of charging. Sprinting from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) will take three seconds. High-power induction charging and battery replacement are also on the feature list.
Later this year, the company plans to introduce two new cars in China – a sedan named the E001 and a crossover dubbed the E002 (both names are provisional and subject to change). A larger-sized SUV is slated to complement the lineup in 2024, and a minivan should follow later still.
Hongqi says its New Energy brand will be primarily targeting developed markets, including those of Germany, Netherlands, Norway, France and Sweden, as well as some other countries of Europe.