Toyota iQ city car reborn as China-only Singulato iC3 EV

The Toyota iQ city car has been reborn in China, with the rising Singulato firm using it as the basis for a new electric-only iC3 machine that has been launched at the Shanghai motor show. Beijing-based Singulato was founded in 2014 as an EV-only firm, and is gearing up to launch a mid-size iS6 SUV later this year. It has agreed a deal with Toyota to use the eQ, a limited-run electric version of the iQ that was sold in the US and Japan, as the basis for its iC3 city car. Singulato has pitched its car as an “urban dream cruiser”. Besides switching from combustion engines to an EV powertrain, the iC3 is built entirely with iQ parts, including the chassis, brakes, steering and suspension. It also features some mild exterior design tweaks, and a new, bespoke infotainment system. Singulato has developed its own electric powertrain for the new model. While it has yet to reveal full technical details, it claims it will offer a range of around 186 miles on the NEDC test cycle. It is understood Singulato is aiming to sell the car in China for about £11,500. A Singulato spokesperson told Autocar that it bought the iQ design from Toyota for a “nominal cost”, as part of a wider agreement between the two firms. Reuters has reported that Toyota will be given preferential rights to purchase Chinese ‘green car credits’ from Singulato, which will help it meet government quotas in the country. Toyota recently announced it was offering rights-free access to around 24,000 patents, including those for electrified technology, and has been looking for partners to further its electrification and expansion plans. The iQ was revealed at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show and went on sale the following year. It was axed in 2015 due to slow sales. As well as the electric eQ version – sold in the US as the Scion iQ EV – Toyota developed a limited-run performance version tuned by Gazoo Racing. The iQ was also used as the basis for the short-lived Aston Martin Cygnet city car, which was produced from 2009 until
Origin: Toyota iQ city car reborn as China-only Singulato iC3 EV

Toyota launches China-only electric C-HR

Toyota has revealed an electric variant of its C-HR compact SUV exclusively for the Chinese market. Unveiled at the Shanghai motor show alongside the identical Izoa, which will be produced by Chinese company FAW, the C-HR EV will go on sale in 2020. The new model, first announced at the Beijing motor show last year, is the first electric Toyota to become available in China, and the first to use the firm’s new TNGA platform as featured on the new Corolla. Performance and powertrain details are unconfirmed, but subtle styling revisions such as the absence of a front grille differentiate the new EV from its conventionally fuelled sibling. The unveiling is the first step in Toyota’s plan to introduce 10 electrified models in China over the next five years, in line with Chinese government requirements for manufacturers to electrify a percentage of their line-ups. The C-HR is sold in the UK with conventional petrol and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains. Last month Toyota unveiled Chinese-market plug-in hybrid variants of the Corolla and FAW-built Levin, which joined the electric C-HR on Toyota’s Shanghai stand, alongside the Rhombus – a futuristic EV urban EV designed by Chinese firm TMEC. Moritaka Yoshida, Toyota executive vice-president, spoke of the firm’s intentions to use the Chinese market as a testbed for new hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. “Since 2017, Toyota has been conducting demonstration tests with the Mirai in China,” he said. “We are considering the local introduction of other fuel cell vehicles such as the FC Coaster.” The car maker plans to sell 5.5 million electrified vehicles worldwide by
Origin: Toyota launches China-only electric C-HR

China-only BMW 3 Series LWB launches

BMW has revealed the long-wheelbase version of the new 3 Series saloon, which will be offered exclusively in the Chinese market, at this year’s Shanghai motor show. The extended version of the recently launched seventh-generation 3 Series has been reworked to offer extra space in the rear, along with a number of new features. It fits a long trend of car firms making longer versions of premium models for China. The stretched 3 Series’s wheelbase of 2851mm is 41mm longer than the regular 3 Series, and the car’s total length is stretched to 4719mm. It is 1827mm wide and 1459mm high, with increased track widths of 1583mm at the front and 1599mm at the rear. Power comes from a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, while the 3 Series long-wheelbase features comfort seats in the front and rear and a panoramic glass roof, among a number of features to meet the demands of Chinese customers. The machine will be produced by joint venture firm BMW Brilliance Automotive, at its Tiexi plant in Shenyang in Liaoning Province, where Chinese market versions of the regular 3 Series will also be produced. In China, the 3 Series – in both standard and long-wheelbase forms – will also be offered with BMW’s new Intelligent Personal Assistant system, which offers a range of digital services. It also responds to voice controls with the prompt ‘hey BMW’. BMW has also displayed the recently announced X3M and X4M performance SUV models in public for the first time at the Shanghai
Origin: China-only BMW 3 Series LWB launches

Jetta: New China-only Volkswagen models shown at Shanghai

Volkswagen has launched a new standalone brand for the Chinese market, named after its long-running Jetta model, at the Shanghai motor show. The Jetta brand will be run by the German firm in co-operation with long-time Chinese joint venture partner First Automobile Works (FAW). It will target younger buyers outside major metropolitan areas. The two companies first revealed they were planning a budget brand in 2017. Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann said: “With Jetta, we’re closing the gap between the established Volkswagen lead brand in the top volume segment and entry-level mobility, which accounts for about one-third of the Chinese market and is served mainly by local brands. This way, we will significantly increase our market coverage.” By the end of 2019, Volkswagen plans to establish up to 200 Jetta dealerships, and it says this network will be supported by a range of sales formats, including digital showrooms, shopping malls and mobile sales trucks. The initial Jetta line-up comprises three models, the VA3, VS5 and VS7, with sales scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year. The 4487mm-long VA3 is a rebadged version of the current Chinese-market Jetta saloon, while the 4400mm-long VS5 and 4600mm-long VS7 are SUVs that draw heavily on the Seat Ateca and Seat Tarraco, with five and seven seats respectively. Seat doesn’t have an existing sales presence in China; the integration of the Spanish car maker’s models into the Jetta line-up is expected to profit from greater economies of scale. A VS3 compact SUV based on the Seat Arona has been muted as a possible future addition to the Jetta range. Stackmann added: “In China, the Jetta plays an extremely valuable role for us as a Volkswagen model. It has brought mobility for the masses, just like the Beetle once did in Europe. Developed by Volkswagen and built in China, the Jetta placed China on four wheels. “To this day, it’s one of Volkswagen’s most popular models in China – a real icon. This is why we’re transforming a model into a brand and establishing a separate model and brand family.” Each of the initial Jetta models is planned to receive a common corporate grille treatment, as previewed by an official sketch of the VA3 released by Volkswagen. They will be produced at a factory operated jointly by Volkswagen and FAW in Chengdu, China. Volkswagen delivered 3.11 million cars in China in 2018, making it the company’s single largest
Origin: Jetta: New China-only Volkswagen models shown at Shanghai