I drive new cars every week, but I rarely get to drive completely new car brands. Imagine how much fun I'm already having today then.
Experts say that some manufacturers might go out of business because they're not able to obey the new CO2-rules from the European Union...
As if they're not able to comply to the energy transition. That's a sad thing to think about,
but the good thing about it is that it offers space for entirely new brands. Brands which can start from nothing with a clean slate.
Tesla has already proven it can be successful, but now other brands pop up as well. The past few weeks, MG has returned to the Dutch roads.
Or rather, Chinese SAIC's with a MG-badge picked up from the flea market. And this is the first production car from Aiways.
A startup from Shanghai, which started in 2017 as a mobility platform. Now however, they already have a car for the European market.
In the back, it's incredibly spacious because of the long wheelbase. It's a big car because of the electrical platform.
A lot of space inbetween the axles. I can literally stretch my legs, almost like it's business class plus.
Besides that, it's filled with nice details. Take these aluminium strips here, or over here. This is an... Well, an ashtray or something?
It's very high tech!
But I have to be honest with you, the Aiways U5 isn't entirely new to me. In the fall, I drove the prototype from Amsterdam to Paris,
albeit a very rudimentary prototype. This however, is the full production version.
And if I look around me, it looks nice and fresh. It reminds me of the Citroën Cactus in the way its set up.
All kinds of screens, buttons on the steering wheel without a description, so you'll have to guess. Again, it's just a matter of getting used to.
A big, wide screen which is still in Chinese, so the software isn't ready yet for European markets.
Over here's a thing as well, but it's not a vent. I think it's a spying gadget for the Chinese government, but I don't care...
because I don't have anything to hide. Who cares.
Clearly, Aiways does have something to hide when it comes to finishing touches. The materials are pretty decent, but if you look at...
the steering column, there are some things to be improved. Other than that, the seating position is good enough. The seats are nice,
with decent support. The U5 is powered by a 140 kW-electric motor, which produces around 190 horsepower and a very decent...
317 Nm of torque. Beneath the floor, it has a 63 kWh-battery pack, which should get you more than 400 km on a single charge according...
to WLTP, but that means it'll do around 300 km. You can quickcharge it from 30 to 80 percent in less than an hour and when you use a...
6,6 kW-charger at home you can fully charge it in less than 8 hours. In August, this car will be released on the European markets, so you'll be...
looking for Aiways-dealerships in and around the country, but it will be in vain. Aiways will deliver your car directly to you.
You can order and configurate it online, and they'll send it your way. Then there's the name. Aiways, almost like 'always'.
Dirty minded people might think about feminine hygiene products, but we're not doing that today. The "ai" in Aiways stands for Artificial...
Intelligence, which means this car is filled with artificial intelligence. The unique selling point of this car and the exact technology you need...
to drive autonomously. And that's not possible with this car. Sure, you can drive it at level 2, so it'll stay between the lines,
with adaptive cruise control and other safety systems, so it's pretty modern. I wouldn't call it safe though,
because it only has a 3-star NCAP-rating. According to Aiways, they're working on it. Mostly the airbags, which need to inflate quicker.
If I were to crash right now, there'd probably be a little leprechaun blowing up the airbag. Not that it's necessary anymore if my bowels come...
out of my nose. So it needs some improvement, and maybe it'll be safer in the future. For now however, it's 3 stars.
When it comes to the drive, it's a typical electric SUV like we're used to drive nowadays. It feels a little distant, a little clinical,
but still very comfortable and quiet. A pleasant car to drive really. So, is Aiways going to be the Tesla from China?
Well, it's hard to say. MG has done a very good job as well in the first few months. I mean, the Dutch like an affordable electrical SUV.
Who knows. Maybe Aiways has a good shot at it as well and they'll become a household name in the Netherlands.
I've found out something! You remember the Chinese government-camera I talked about earlier? I found this function in the menu's just now.
It says 'Vehicle Monitoring and Selfie Camera', that's right. You can make selfies with this car.