Aiways U5 Electric SUV Coming to Europe With 63 kWh Battery, 190 HP

Cars have become a bit like white goods, refrigerators and microwave ovens on wheels. That's going to sound sad to the people who like to change their own oil, but if you think about it, not having that many parts to service make EVs quite good.

With smartphones, Chinese products were initially treated with skepticism, but as advanced tech became mainstream and profit margins declined, Huawei and the lot took over. Will the same thing happen with EVs?

Of course, the brands need to be trusted, to become household names. Europeans might now about Great Wall, but Aiways is new. The only other time our website mentioned them is talking about that new Humpert sports car, the hydrogen-powered RG Nathalie.

We think the U5 is very cool. It looks like it's been designed from the start to be electric, unlike an e-Golf or even the Kia Niro. The car has no place for a bumper, and the sockets are located in an unusual place, under the headlight. What's more, they payed attention to trending car parts, and fitted retractable door handles, a rotary shifter and two screens to control everything.

The battery pack sounds high-tech, with a power density of 170 Wh per kilogram of weight and impressive total capacity of 63 kWh. Under realistic conditions, it's supposed to return 460 kilometers per charge or about 285 miles. This 5-seat SUV is only going to be available with FWD, motivated by a single motor delivering 190 HP and 315 Nm of torque, which sounds like more than enough.