Aion ES is a new EV Sedan from WTCA at an attractive starting price.
Warisan Tan Chong Automotif’s partnership with GAC Aion is picking up steam. At The Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show 2024, the GAC Aion booth was filled with potential new car launches but only one vehicle was actually launched there and it was this – the Aion ES.
The Aion ES is a 4-door sedan with an attractive price point of just RM106,800. It’s interesting to see WTCA target two bodystyles that are neglected at the mid to low end – the Y Plus has a compact MPV form while this is the only conventional 4-door sedan BEV at the lowest possible price bracket allowed for non-national brands to sell at. In Malaysia, it is available in 3 colour options – Pure White, Glamour Black and Holographic Silver – pretty conservative colour choices. The warranty package is 8 years / 160,000km for the base vehicle and 8 years / 200,000km for the EV battery, Drive Motor and Electric Control. Buyers will also receive a 7kW wallbox charger with their purchase and this is valued at RM3,500.
The Aion ES is based on the Aion Electric Platform 2.0. Charging speed is limited to 6.6kW on AC with a Type 2 charger and 60kW on DC with a CCS2 charger. The 55.2kWh Magazine Battery features lithium iron phosphate chemistry and should be quite resilient to full charge up cycles and apparently military grade ballistics.
That’s right, according to the press release bullets can pierce the battery but it does not explode or catch fire. The NEDC range is quoted at 442km, which should translate to about 376km on the WLTP cycle roughly.
The Aion ES has a front-mounted 136PS and 225Nm of torque motor. There are 3 drive modes and an i-Pedal single pedal drive mode too. The upholstery is all premium leatherette material and there’s a rotary gearknob, auto dimming rear view mirror, 6-way driver seat adjustment, a 3.5″ LCD instrument cluster, keyless entry, dual zone auto climate control with a PM2.5 air filter and an 8″ touchscreen with Apple CarPlay.
Honestly this was one of the most unexpected and interesting launched of KLIMS 2024.
