Author: DaShi

Since its launch in 2017, the Chery eQ1 (Ant) has won a large number of fans for its excellent pure electric driving experience and exquisite and charming appearance, and it can maintain a stable sales volume of 5000+ per month. Recently, the total sales volume of eQ1 has exceeded 200,000 vehicles, and in order to commemorate this “significant moment”, Chery has launched the eQ1 200,000 Fans Edition, which has been slightly upgraded in all aspects.

The eQ1 200,000 Fans Edition has launched a total of six models, with a price range of CNY 59,900 to 83,900. At present, the new car has gradually arrived at dealers across the country. The car we photographed this time is the Energy version with a range of 301 km, and the subsidized price is CNY 70,900.

There are not many obvious changes in the overall styling of the new car’s appearance, and the upgrades of the new model mainly focus on the car paint. In addition to the solid color Cool Cover Gray we photographed, it also provides six dual-color designs including Gudewhite, Vitamin C Yellow, Light Blue, Rouge Red, Le Green, and Flowing Sakura Pink, as well as various custom car stickers.

The front face adopts the iconic X-shaped design, with a horizontally striped semi-enclosed intake grille, and a personalized LED daytime running light, bringing both a dynamic and cute atmosphere. In addition, the side skirts of the lower bumper are equipped with triangular grille design, and also incorporate vertical daytime running lights.

The body size of the eQ1 200,000 Fans Edition continues to maintain at 3200 x 1670 x 1590 mm (length x width x height), with a wheelbase of 2150 mm. The front and rear fender and side skirts are wrapped in black material to improve protection and make the side visual effect more neat.

The entire series is equipped with 16-inch petal-shaped aluminum alloy wheels, paired with 165/65 R15 Sailun tires, which look quite durable overall.

A black decorative panel is designed on the B pillar, and the “EV” logo is also designed in black, creating an effect of a suspended roof for the overall appearance.

The black plastic material at the rear of the car has a very large area, extending from the left and right ends of the rear bumper to the rear windshield. The dual-color design in the lower part of the bumper makes the whole rear end look quite full.

The interior design maintains the current design scheme, mainly in black/gray-white, with contrasting color details. There are five new two-color combinations including mint green, sunshine orange, cherry blossom pink, lychee white, and lemon yellow.

On a micro car, there is a 10-inch super large central control LCD screen, leather multi-function three-spoke steering wheel and LCD instrument panel. The central control screen also comes with Gaode map, Koala FM and Kuwo music, and supports Baidu Carlife and 4G network. The functions are already rich enough.

After using the electronic handbrake (with AotuHold function), the space at the bottom of the center console is made into a storage compartment, and an wireless charging panel is designed inside.

Although small, the Microcar is fully equipped. It has designed an independent central armrest for the front row and is also equipped with soft filling and surface leather wrapping to support the elbow.

In addition to a large hollowed-out space at the bottom of the center console, there are also a 12V cigarette lighter power interface and two USB interfaces.

The unique panoramic skylight of the same level of the car basically covers the entire roof. After opening the independent sun visor, you can get nearly 0.5 square meters of lighting area.

The one-piece seat is wrapped in soft leather, and all models have manual four-way adjustment. The stitching has a certain design sense, and the color is consistent with the details of the interior.

Except for the energetic version, which is the lowest configuration, other mid-to-high-end models are equipped with electric adjustment for the co-pilot seat and one-click unfold/fold function. If you need to carry more people, it is more convenient to enter the back row.

The back row is designed for two seats, and space is not its advantage. But it can handle short trips in the city without any problem. There are cup holders and storage compartments on both sides, and the right side also has an ISOFIX child safety seat interface. It can be seen that Chery New Energy is very attentive to the details of this microcar.

If you only need to ride two people, you can fold the entire rear seat down to form a large storage space.

Regarding the power system, it still uses a permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a maximum power of 30 kW and a peak torque of 120 N·m, but the integration of the body has been increased by 70%. The new car has upgraded the battery pack, adopting integrated thermal management technology, and the battery cooling efficiency has increased by 20%. It provides two versions of the cruising range, 301 kilometers and 408 kilometers.

The charging ports are all arranged at the rear of the car, so you don’t need to park the car head-in anymore, which is more in line with usage habits. It is also equipped with three charging methods. In the DC fast charging mode, it only takes 30 minutes to charge from 30% to 80%. Using a 6.6 kW AC charger, it can be fully charged in 5-7 hours. In addition, there is a 220 V household charger that comes with the car, which can be charged whenever and wherever, completely eliminating range anxiety.

In addition, the Small Ant 200,000 ant powder edition is also equipped with a leading same-class full aluminum alloy body frame, four-wheel independent suspension + rear-drive combination, combined with EPS electric power-assisted steering system, HAC uphill assist system and other electronic assistance functions, together with ECO, Sport dual driving modes, greatly enhancing the driving pleasure.

In Conclusion

Many micro new energy vehicles have seized the market through extreme low prices, but they often sacrifice many good user experiences. The Small Ant has always followed the route of fine small cars. This time, the entire car has been upgraded inside and out, and the endurance has also been greatly improved. The 408 km endurance can meet more than a week of urban commuting, and the prices of 75,900 yuan, 79,900 yuan, and 83,900 yuan are also highly competitive.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.