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A price war is looming at the bottom end of the mid-sized SUV hybrid market, in the wake of the recent announcement of Australia’s cheapest-ever plug-in-hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
Kicking off from $36,990 drive-away, the Forthing Taikon 5 PHEV officially undercuts the previous least-expensive alternative by nearly $1600 – though limited end-of-financial-year discounting means everyone seems to be slashing prices temporarily at the moment.
To put these prices into perspective, the least-expensive Toyota RAV4 XSE PHEV starts from $59,515 before on-road costs.
As PHEV SUV sales generally continue to skyrocket (this year they’re up by over 150 per cent), more Chinese brands are entering this segment.
Here is a rundown of the current players with their normal recommended retail prices starting from under $40,000 – along with a couple of near-future alternatives as well.
Provocative pricing is inevitably one way of making yourself heard in a busy segment.
Distributed in Australia by Ateco, which also imports LDV and Foton commercial vehicles from China as well as Maserati, Renault, and Ram Trucks, the Taikon 5 is cheaper than the Sealion 5 PHEV.
With sales commencing at the end of this month, it is produced by Dongfeng, which also has joint ventures with Nissan and Peugeot, among others.
Available in two highly-equipped grades, Luxury and Exclusive, the Taikon 5 pairs a 75kW/130Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine with a 120kW/240Nm electric motor and 31kWh battery offering a pure-EV WLTP range of 170km.
Because only the electric motor sends drive to the front wheels, meaning the engine is purely an electricity generator, this is classed as a range-extender EV. All-up, the combined WLTP range is over 935km between refills.
However, unlike, say the Nissan X-Trail e-Power, the battery also needs to be plugged in to a DC charger.
For another $2000, there will also be a battery EV version of the Taikon 5, offering a 150kW/340Nm electric motor and 64kWh battery capable of a WLTP driving range average of 427km.
Though there is a decent wedge of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) fitted as standard, there is no ANCAP crash-test rating currently available for the Forthing – though plans are afoot to rectify this.
This is the SUV PHEV that is in Forthing’s crosshairs.
Released earlier this year, the cheapest Sealion 5 PHEV costs about $37,600 drive-away ex-Perth and it too does not come with an ANCAP crash-test rating as yet.
Under the bonnet is a 72kW/122Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, mated to a 145kW/300Nm electric motor, delivering 156kW of power to the front wheels in total.
Two battery pack choices are available – either a 12.9kWh item with a combined range of 1000km in the base Essential, or an 18.3kWh upgrade in the Premium bumping that up by 30km. These are not WLTP figures but the less-accurate NEDC data.
So are the pure-EV numbers, which are 71km and 100km respectively.
With sales soaring 200 per cent this year, it is easy to see why this Chinese mid-sized SUV is resonating with so many Australian consumers.
Fitted with a turbo-charged version of a 1.5-litre petrol engine making a healthy 105kW and 215Nm, it is paired to a 150kW/310Nm electric motor driving the front wheels.
With an 18.4kWh battery packed under the floor, it offers an NEDC EV-only range of 120km or an astonishing 1200km of combined range. These are likely sub-100km and 1000km respectively under WLTP protocols.
Note the Tiggo 7 has managed a five-star ANCAP crash-test rating.
Chinese carmaker Geely offers two versions of its also-ANCAP five-star rated mid-sized SUV PHEV.
Both pair a 73kW/125Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine with a 160kW/262Nm electric motor, but the base Complete offers an 18.4kWh battery pack for an 83km EV-only range and 943km combined. All values here are WLTP rated.
Then there is the recently-released Inspire Extended Range costing $4000 extra, upgrading that to a 29.8kWh battery, bumping EV-only range up to 136km and 996km combined.
Pricing and other specifications have yet to be confirmed, but expect to see the Deepal S05 medium-sized SUV join the sub-$40K PHEV ranks before the end of the year, along with the Chery-made Omoda 4 PHEV.
