Peter Lyon
July 17, 2024
Chinese carmakers, including BYD, Geely, and SAIC, have impacted the Malaysian automobile market in recent years. With Chery as its parent company, Kaiyi Automobile appears to be the next to join the fray. One of the brand’s models, the Kaiyi X3 Pro EV has been spied by a member of the Malaysian EV Owners Club Facebook group, Har Chee, in Cyberjaya with trade plates.
Also called Cowin Auto, Kaiyi is headquartered in Yibin, Sichuan Province, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chery Automobile. This should clarify a few of its design elements that appear to have been influenced by Chery’s own product.
However, the Kaiyi X3 Pro EV seen here in Malaysia has a somewhat different front fascia than the model that is featured on the brand’s website. This X3 Pro EV has a fully closed-off front panel, however the one displayed on Kaiyi’s global website has an ICE car-like “grille” with honeycomb elements.
The Kaiyi X3 Pro EV sits on a chassis with a 2,632 mm long wheelbase and has dimensions of 4,440 mm in length, 1,831 mm in width, and 1,646 mm in height. This makes it larger than B-segment SUVs like the Chery Omoda 5 and the Proton X50.
With its front-mounted single motor setup producing 163 horsepower and 280 Nm, the X3 Pro EV can accelerate from zero to 50 km/h in just 3.77 seconds, according to Kaiyi—which, by our estimates, suggests that this EV will accelerate from 0-60km/h in around 5 seconds. That’s a number that has meaning. Excuse us guys, but what is this 0-50 reference? No one uses that—and we are sorry but such a figure has no meaning.
A 53 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack from CATL is reported to provide the X3 Pro EV with a range of 401 km (NEDC) between charges—which in the real world translates to around 350km at best. Regarding suspension, we hear that the X3 Pro EV employs Multi-link in the back and a MacPherson configuration upfront.
In terms of amenities, the Kaiyi X3 Pro EV has two 10.25-inch screens inside in addition to LED headlights and taillights.
In some regions, the Kaiyi X3 Pro is outfitted with a 360° video system in addition to active safety features like lane departure warning (LDW) for further security. So what is the price of the Kaiyi X3 Pro EV? It hasn’t officially launched here in Malaysia yet, but according to CarNewsChina, the price range for the all-electric SUV in China is RMB119,900 (about RM77,081) to RMB176,600 (about RM113,532).
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Even with real-world range of roughly 350 kms, the X3 Pro offers a good solid all-around package and in a just-the-right-size body as well. And from what we can gather, the pricing structure also looks particularly appealing.
