Author: Dan Huang
It’s the season for buying cars, known as the “golden season” for car dealerships. With the National Day holiday coming up, this is a great opportunity for car manufacturers to boost sales. For many Chinese families, having an SUV to drive during holidays is very convenient. With its spacious capacity and relatively high chassis, an SUV can be used in multiple scenarios, making it a practical choice.
Of course, practicality is not the only concern for car buyers, price is also an important factor, along with the ongoing cost of using a car. So, taking into account all these factors, Let’s take a look at some pure electric SUV models priced around 150,000 yuan that are worthy of consideration.
XPeng G3i
Price: 149,800-185,800 yuan (new G3i price)
NEDC Range: 460/520 km
In terms of exterior design, the XPeng G3i adopts X Robot Face’s family styling language, which can be said to have perfectly transferred XPeng P7’s styling over. It will also come in five colors for consumers to choose from, with the option for a two-tone roof.
In terms of its size, the XPeng G3i has not undergone significant changes to its overall outline, with an increase in body length. Its dimensions are 4495/1820/1610 mm and a wheelbase of 2625 mm.
The new car’s tail adopts an integrated diamond matrix full LED taillight that echoes the front headlights, with the reflector plate inside the lamp adopting a diamond-cut design, providing a strong visual impact. The upgraded concealed door handle not only lowers the vehicle’s wind resistance and makes the side profile more streamlined and attractive, but also will automatically expand when unlocked, making it more futuristic and ceremonial.
The interior of the small Xpeng G3i maintains its original design while adding a new blue and white color scheme, making it more personalized. The Xpeng G3i will also be equipped with the Xmart OS 2.0 car intelligence system, featuring full-scenario voice control, AI voice assistant, continuous conversation, visible speech recognition, dual-tone recognition, flexible customization of the small P image and voice commands, and so on.
In addition, it will be equipped with the XPILOT 2.5 system, with mid- to high-end models possessing leading automatic driving assistance functions such as full-speed range ACC adaptive cruise control, ALC automatic lane changing assistance (with automatic lane changing when signaling), LCC lane centering assistance, LKA lane-keeping assistance, ATC adaptive curve cruising, XPILOT Parking super automatic parking assistance, and so on.
In terms of power, the new Xpeng G3i continues to be equipped with a front-mounted permanent magnet synchronous electric motor with a maximum power of 145 kW (197 horsepower) and a peak torque of 300 N·m, with an NEDC range of 460-520 km.
GAC Aion Y
Price: 104,600-148,600 yuan
NEDC range: 410/500/600 km
In terms of appearance, although the Aion Y is positioned as a compact SUV, its body lines and proportions resemble more of an MPV model. Moreover, its design is like a mass-produced concept car, with no grille design different from any other Aion model, which is particularly special and personalized.
The Aion Y’s side profile elements are also very rich, with a high-tech decoration panel at the C and D-pillar connection. Moreover, its wind resistance coefficient is only 0.278. In terms of body size, the Aion Y has a length, width, and height of 4410/1870/1645 mm, with a wheelbase of 2750 mm. Compared with other cars in its class, it has certain advantages in wheelbase and interior space.
Compared to its eye-catching front face, the tail design of Aion Y is relatively simple. The slender and sharp horizontal tail lights use the same LED strip design as the headlights, which has high recognition when illuminated at night.
In terms of interior design, the fusion of simplicity and a technological atmosphere stands out among its family products. The center console mostly uses hard materials, but the addition of color, body-colored decorative stripes, and diversified panels seems to convey a sense of youthful and personalized annotation.
In terms of power, AION Y uses the same motor for the entire lineup, provided by Japan Sun Electric Co., Ltd., with a maximum power of 135 kW and a torque of 350 N·m. The entire lineup is equipped with Guangqi AEA’s latest magazine-type battery, which can achieve no fire and explosion in the most difficult 8mm steel needle puncture test conducted by CATARC. The low-end version with a lithium iron phosphate battery has a range of 410 km. The ternary lithium battery has two capacities of 61.3 kWh and 76.8 kWh, with ranges of 500 km and 600 km, respectively.
Geometry C
Price: 129,800-182,800 yuan
NEDC range: 400/550 km
The Geometry C is positioned as a compact SUV, and the 2021 model largely retains the design of the 2020 model. The crossover body shape is more able to highlight a sense of youthfulness, and the front lines are significantly lowered. Coupled with changes in the front face, the front of the car is impactful, and the front bumper is decorated with air intakes on both sides.
Floating roof, coupe-like design, and hidden door handles are all popular design elements that are not absent in the Geometry C. The new car doors also have the Geometry Automobile’s “axe-like lower waistline” design. This not only contributes to the visual effect, but the manufacturer claims that it can also disperse airflow and optimize the drag coefficient.### NETA U Pro
Price: 99,800-159,800 yuan (price for standard version)
NEDC Range: 400/500/610km
In terms of interior, the new car offers two options of light-colored fabric interior and dark leather interior, with a clear and three-dimensional overall interior. The center console uses a 5-inch full LCD instrument panel and a 12.3-inch center control multimedia touch screen, equipped with the latest GKUI vehicle system. The new UI interactive interface will also further enhance the ease of operation, making human-machine interaction more direct and simple.
In terms of technology, the 550 km version of the car comes standard with HUD head-up display, 6-way power adjustable driver’s seat, ultra-fine leather steering wheel, and front seat heating. The top-of-the-range model is equipped with 72-color interior ambient lighting, 9-speaker BOSE sound system, and L2-level assisted driving system.
In terms of power, the new car is equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous motor with a maximum power of 150 kW and a peak torque of 310 Nm. In terms of energy storage, the car adopts a 53 kWh and 70 kWh ternary lithium battery pack, with NEDC ranges of 400 km and 550 km, respectively.
In terms of appearance, the front grille integrates the brand’s logo design elements with a continuous light strip, and the two T-shaped headlights also increase recognition with their considerable size. In order to improve the range, NETA U Pro is equipped with an AGS active air intake grille, low-drag cards to reduce air and frictional resistance, and the C-booster intelligent electronic brake system to improve the efficiency of brake energy recovery.The front and rear overhangs of the NIO U Pro are relatively short, with a length, width, and height of 4530/1860/1628 mm, and a wheelbase of 2770 mm, giving it a certain advantage over other models in its class.
In terms of configuration and intelligence, the NIO U Pro will be equipped with the upgraded 2.0 version of the transparent A-pillar, which not only reduces blind spots, but also improves practicality by displaying navigation, weather, and other information, and can create a comfortable atmosphere with display water flow in the rest mode. The one-key remote parking function of the new car allows the vehicle to automatically park in a narrow parking space after the owner gets off the car. The upgraded intelligent car-finding function allows the owner to view the surrounding scenery of the vehicle on the phone, making it more intuitive and convenient to find the car. In addition, the new car adds a sentinel mode, which automatically informs the owner through the phone if the vehicle encounters external force after parking, and the owner can understand the relevant situation through the panoramic image recorded by the vehicle after returning to the car.
In terms of power, the NIO U Pro continues to be equipped with a driving motor with a maximum power of 150 kW and a maximum torque of 310 N·m. The cruising range varies according to different configurations, ranging from 400 km, 500 km to 610 km.
WM EX5-Z
Price: 149,800-159,800 yuan (2022 price)
NEDC cruising range: 403 km
The 2022 WM EX5-Z is a new generation of compact pure electric SUV, with a PRO all-in-one version added to the base model of the 2021 model, priced at 153,800 yuan, with 360 full-view image added to the configuration.
In terms of appearance, the 2022 WEY EX5-Z still uses a closed front face design, and the lower bumper area has irregular LED light strips, enriching the lines of the front face. The vehicle’s length, width, and height are 4585/1835/1672 mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2703 mm.
As for the interior, the vehicle has reduced a large number of physical buttons, and most functions are concentrated on the central control screen. The high-end Lead Plutocrat model is equipped with a 15.6-inch screen, while the NEX Discovery version and PRO All-in-one version have a 12.8-inch screen. The facial recognition system is standard across the entire range and can be used to log in to one’s account.
In addition, the high-end version is also equipped with Huawei HiCar and Living Pilot intelligent driving assistance system, which can recognize traffic information, assist lane departure correction, high-speed cruise lane center driving assistance, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and side and rear vehicle reminders.
In terms of power, the 2022 WEY EX5-Z is equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a maximum power of 160 kW (218 Ps) and a maximum torque of 225 Nm. The NEDC conditions have a range of 403 km.
LI ONE
Price: 1.598-1.998 million RMB
NEDC range: 510/550/600 km
In terms of appearance, the overall shape of the new car is quite round and full, and the streamlined body shape is eye-catching. The new car’s front face adopts a closed design, and a headlight design with a light strip that blends with the edge of the hood runs through the front of the car, widening the visual effect of the front face. The LI ONE’s matrix-style headlight also incorporates three LED light strips, one of which separates the top and bottom, creating a very good visual effect when lit.
The side of the body of the Lepauto C11 features a dual waistline design that, coupled with the rounded and smooth contours of the roof, achieves a very harmonious overall visual effect. In addition, the new car incorporates some concave line designs in the front and side of the car, making the vehicle’s lines more varied. In terms of size, the new car is 4750/1905/1650 mm in length, width, and height, respectively, with a wheelbase of 2930 mm.
The rear of the car is concise and clear and features popular design elements such as a continuous LED taillight, the “LEPAMOTOR” letter car emblem, and a black lower bumper.
In terms of interior design, the new car uses the “waist-rounded” geometric element extensively, and is equipped with a three-screen design that is currently popular in electric cars. The car system is set to be equipped with the third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive Digital Cockpit flagship platform, with a new intelligent cockpit developed based on Leap Cloud, providing intelligent voice interaction, Bluetooth key, face recognition, personalized adjustment, and intelligent air purification system.
In terms of intelligent driving, the Lepauto C11 is equipped with 28 intelligent sensing hardware of the same level as the Model Y, including 10 cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, 5 millimeter wave radars, and 1 face recognition camera. Two independently developed Lingxian 01 intelligent driving chips have a computing power of 8.4 Tops, supporting 12-channel camera access, 2.5D 360° panoramic view, automatic parking, ADAS domain control, and intelligent driving assistance functions close to L3 level.
In terms of power, the Lepauto C11 offers three versions of the car. The luxury and premium versions feature a rear-wheel drive layout, with a maximum motor power of 200 kW and a peak torque of 360 N·m, achieving acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds. The performance version features a four-wheel drive layout, equipped with two motors each with a maximum power of 200 kW and maximum torque of 360 N·m, achieving acceleration of 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds.
In terms of range, the luxury version is equipped with a 76.6 kWh battery pack, with an NEDC range of 480 km; the premium and performance versions are both equipped with a 90 kWh battery pack, but due to different power output, the range also differs, at 510 km, 550 km, and 600 km respectively.
Skyworth Auto EV6Price: 1.53-2.498 million yuan
NEDC Range: 410/520 km
In terms of appearance, Skyworth EV6 adopts the modern “Bauhaus” design concept, with a banner-style grille in the front, LED headlights on both sides parallel to the grille, and air guides and fog lights on both sides of the bumper, making it more youthful and fashionable.
The waistline of the car body runs through the front fender to the taillights, and is equipped with double five-spoke wheels below. In terms of body size, the length, width, and height of the new car are 4698/1908/1696 mm, and the wheelbase is 2800 mm.
The car is equipped with a through-type taillight group, and the “SKYWORTH” logo is arranged in the center of the tail, highlighting a certain sense of luxury. The lower bumper is processed with a concave shape, which widens the rear visual width.
In terms of interior, Skyworth EV6 adopts a symmetrical central control layout, equipped with a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel (8-inch for low-end) and a 12.8-inch central control screen, the latter of which is equipped with the Skyworth Skylink smart network system. In terms of configuration, the new car is equipped with keyless start, front dual airbags, automatic parking, and steep slope descent control as standard. The laser headlights have also been added to the 410 km range version of the vehicle.
In terms of power, the new car is equipped with a drive motor with a maximum power of 150 kW and a peak torque of 320 N·m, and is equipped with ternary lithium batteries with capacities of 55.33 kW·h and 71.98 kW·h, with NEDC ranges of 410 km and 520 km, respectively.
ConclusionOverall, there are plenty of options for pure electric SUVs in the 150,000 price range. Within this price range, you can not only see the traditional automakers’ AION Y and Geometry C, but also the new forces’ XPeng G3i, NIO U Pro, and Zero Run C11, as well as the emergence of Skyworth’s EV6 under the “TV King” Skyworth’s subsidiary.
Among these 7 models, the Zero Run C11 and the Skyworth EV6 have reached the level of mid-size SUVs, while the rest are compact. Throughout the article, each model has its own advantages in terms of interior and smart configuration. As a SUV model, favored by Chinese consumers, these models have a good cost performance, which can be purchased for around 150,000 yuan (some models are even below 150,000 yuan). If you are planning to buy a pure electric SUV during the car buying season, and your budget is around 150,000 yuan, would you consider these models?
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.