Having made the rounds at a number of high-profile events since its world debut last year, iCaur officially removed the wraps from the right-hand drive market specific V27 at the Beijing Motor Show last Friday.
The Chery-owned new energy brand’s first range-extending electric vehicle (REEV), the retro-styled iCaur V27 has already been approved for South Africa, with an official launch date still to be announced.
iCaur V27 new top dog
Outwardly similar to the Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series and Mercedes-Benz G-Class from the front and the Isuzu Trooper at the rear, the V27 will be positioned above the electric V23 and 03T when local sales start.
As with the global left-hand drive variant, the right-hand drive iCaur V27 has the same dimensions, namely the following:
- Length: 5 055mm
- Wheelbase: 2 910mm
- Height: 1 984mm
- Width: 1 976mm
As with its sibling, the iCaur V27 seats five. It offers up to 1 818 litres of boot space with the rear seats folded down.
Range-extending hybrid
While no details about the range-extending powertrain was divulged, the right-hand drive iCaur V27 will in all likelihood be similar to the left-hand drive. Principle propulsion will, therefore, come from 34.3-kWh battery pack powering two electric. It is backed up by a 1.5 T-GDI engine outputting 105kW of power.
However, as with the Leapmotor C10 and Nissan’s e-Power system, the combustion engine also charges the battery. And as such, isn’t connected to the actual drive wheels. Dubbed “Golden Range Extender”, the setup produces a combined 335.kW. This enables it to sprint from 0 to 100km/h in just five seconds. The claimed all-electric range of 156km.
Despite iCar, restyled as iCaur but still pronounced “i-car”, officially launching next month with the V23 and 03T, the iCaur V27 is anticipated to only arrive by year-end or in early 2027.
*Charl Bosch is in China as a guest of Chery SA.
