The first EV model of Chinese automaker Baoneng Motor's premium car brand will be released and go on sale in 2021 to compete with Tesla and Nio in the Chinese market, the company said in an internal email on February 18.
The model will soon finish durability tests in the harsh cold and other environments and move on to the next phase of work, the company's vice president Toshiaki Otani said in the email, adding that Baoneng's Qoros will have five models released and available in 2021.
Otani first disclosed last September that Baoneng was planning to create a premium car brand positioned above Qoros.
When Baoneng Motor's Xi'an base was completed, Otani said the new brand would focus on new energy vehicles.
Baoneng Motor completed the acquisition of Changan PSA in 2020 and has already brought the DS Automobiles' flagship DS9 to market, proving that Baoneng Motor has the production processes and capabilities for a luxury brand of cars.
Baoneng's power cell company, Juchuang New Energy, was granted 141 patents in 2020, with its chief engineer and core team from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
Baoneng Motor established Qianhai Qijian Technology in November 2020 to develop automotive-grade chips, smart car architecture, and autonomous driving.
Baoneng Motor has opened about 1,000 directly operated stores in China by the end of 2020 and established a charging service company in January 2021.
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(Source: Baoneng website)
