China Car Times reports, drawing its information from the Chinese-language site autohome.com.cn, that SAIC Motor will launch its smart-sized E50 EV on 2 November – albeit reportedly expecting to produce no more than 1,000 units during 2013. The city car is reportedly equipped with a single 63hp traction motor and offers a top speed of 80 miles and a maximum range of 120 miles. The report did not identify the vehicle’s battery type or supplier. Fast-charging achieves an 80% charge in 30 minutes, but China Car Times commented that there are next to no fast charging stations in China. SAIC has not confirmed the news, or provided images of the vehicle on its own website.
On 28 February, SAIC Motor and Shanghai International Automotive City (Group) (SIAC) signed an MoU for a new energy vehicle demonstration project at the Shanghai Automotive Museum, and also agreed to cooperate on SAIC’s Roewe E50, whereby SIAC would take 200 units of the Roewe E50 “to make tentative attempts on the private car market.”
SAIC Motor was one of the first members of the China (Shanghai) Partnership Organisation, and has deployed units of its Roewe 350 EV, ‘Shanghai’ brand fuel cell vehicle and Roewe 750 hybrid in the EV International Demonstration City.
