Volkswagen has partnered with China’s Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (JAC) to introduce SOL, a new all-electric brand for China. The first model from the new brand, which is meant to churn out affordable electric cars, is a crossover whose name is yet to be announced. Based on the images, the model’s name will carry an ‘e-’ prefix. Volkswagen and JAC have been in the news for its joint venture. In July 2017, Volkswagen and JAC signed an agreement for a new joint venture to build electric cars in China in front of Chancellor Merkel and Premier Li Keqiang in Berlin. In November 2018, Volkswagen and JAC agreed to cooperate more deeply in the development of vehicles, design, product quality and underlying technology.
The new EV is closely related to JAC’s iEV7S, which is powered by a 116hp/270Nm electric motor with a range of 280km on a single charge. The SOL-badged model is expected to be priced slightly higher than the JAC one and be powered by the same motor tuned to develop 114hp and hit a top speed of 130kph. Other details concerning the powertrain, like range, are not available as of now.
Both the JAC and SOL models share the same dimensions at 4,135mm in length, 1,750mm in width, 1,560mm in height and a 2,490mm-long wheelbase.
