Chinese manufacturer Great Wall has just presented the latest proposal from its electric car division. A sub-brand named NOW which it has established in collaboration with BMW, and which is resulting in very economical but increasingly competitive models. The last to arrive has been the TIME R2, which is slightly above its brother R1 in terms of size.
This model is a clear example of how much Chinese brands are advancing, capable of offering large sedans such as the Xpeng P7, but also putting competitive low-cost proposals on the market with attractive designs and features and equipment that have nothing to do with envy western models but with much more popular prices.
The ORA R2 differs from its little brother in addition to the design, by measures that give us a model of 3.62 meters long, which place it in the segment of the Volkswagen e-Up and company, slightly above the Smart ForFour.
The engine will eventually be somewhat more powerful than rumors indicated, and will hit the 46 kW (63 CV) that will allow you to have better acceleration, and make the incursions into ring roads and small sections of motorway with more guarantees and safety.
The battery for its part will be the same pack of 33 kWh that we have seen in the R1, which according to the manufacturer allow it to achieve a range of 350 kilometers with each load. A clearly optimistic estimate that we take for granted will use the NEDC cycle. Something that leads us to think that under the WLTP format the figure should be around 280 kilometers.
Some data remain to be confirmed, including a price that is rumored to be around 9,000 euros in its local market.
The substitute for the BMW i3?
An ORA R2 that is discussed will be the foundation BMW will use for its future electric compact car that is likely to become the replacement for the i3, which we told you about this morning, or also about a new Mini model. A global proposal to be made in China, at the plant that the alliance between the Chinese and German companies is building in Zhangjiagang, 150 kilometers from Shanghai. A new facility that is slated to go live in 2022 with around 3,000 employees and an initial capacity of 160,000 units per year, including Mini and Great Wall Motor models.
A new electric from the German group that will have elements such as SVOLT’s cobalt-free batteries, which will allow launching in Europe a very competitive model from the technical point of view, but also from the economic one thanks to the work of Great Wall.
Related | First tests of the ORA R1. A low-cost electric car that prepares your arrival in Europe
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