- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He Ar
Kaiyi. Youth brand for ‘old’ Europe
The youth brand Kaiyi, founded in 2014 and formerly owned by Chinese company Chery, creates affordable cars for the young people. In 2018, 51% of Kaiyi shares were transferred from Chery to the state, however, cooperation with the former parent brand continued. Kaiyi borrows chassis and engines from Chery, including the 1.6- and 2.0-liter turbo engines from the Acteco family. Since 2021, Kaiyi Auto has exported its products to 20 countries and regions, including Africa, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia and Europe. And in 2022, the youth brand has prepared a surprise for ‘old’ Europe by connecting Italy to its international networks, where car deliveries began at the end of July in the form of a first test batch of 300 units. .
The three best representatives of Chery: the Chery Omoda 5, Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro will soon arrive on the Israeli market. Israel will become the 22nd country where Chery sells its vehicles outside of China. Chery models will be supplied to Israel by Carso Motors.
Present
Since 2021, Kaiyi Auto has exported its products to 20 countries and regions, including Africa, the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia and Europe. Among the exported models are X3, X3 pro, X3 pro EV and E5, the total volume is more than 5,000 units. The next tasks are to create brand awareness, develop dealer networks and after-sales service system so that Kaiyi cars can ‘move further and further’ in the international market. Italy became the first country in the European market where Kaiyi Auto products arrived: at the end of July 2022, deliveries of the first test batch of 300 cars began. Kaiyi’s Italian partner is EMC, which has 15 years of experience in selling Chinese brands, as well as 65 car dealerships and 26 service centers throughout Italy. The first product was the Kaiyi X3 Pro SUV, which will be sold as the WAVE 3.
Future
In 2023, the company plans to master the production of environmentally friendly electric and hybrid cars. In July 2022, Kaiyi presented five models at once: two city subcompact cars, a sedan, an SUV and a concept of a future coupe-like SUV. The start of production is scheduled for the first half of 2023.
Kaiyi i-EA 01 and 02
They are two city electric subcompact cars. They differ from each other in the body length and the number of doors. The Kaiyi i-EA 01 is a 3,080 mm long 3-door version with 2 or 4 seats. The Kaiyi i-EA 02 already has 5 doors, is no longer than 3,818 mm, and offers 4 or 5 seats. Both cars will go into production in the first quarter of next year.
Kaiyi i-FA 01
The SUV is 4,738 mm long and has seven seats. It will be produced both in a front-wheel drive version with an electric motor (204 hp) and in an all-wheel drive version with two motors (367 hp). The hybrid system consists of a 1.5-litre supercharged 4-cylinder petrol engine and a traction battery that can be charged from a stationary network. The driving range is 120-180 km. The model will be released in the second quarter of 2023.
Kaiyi Xuandu EV
The 4.7-meter sedan is an electric version of the Xuandu model, released in 2021 and based on the famous Chery Arrizo 7 sedan. The electric car received an engine that produces 163 hp and 240 Nm, while the driving range reaches 350 and 410 km according to the CLTC cycle, depending on the version. Production will begin in the first quarter of 2023.
Kaiyi i-XA 01
This coupe-like SUV is expected no earlier than 2024. The 4,850 mm long vehicle will receive two electric motors with a total power of 449 hp and 600 Nm. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h will occur in 5.3 seconds. So far, one can only fantasize about the details of the car: only a concept has been demonstrated.
