A future Haval, perhaps?
Nascent premium Chinese marque Wey has introduced its very first plug-in hybrid, dubbed the P8. Due to hit the Chinese market in early 2018, the P8 is the first plug-in hybrid model from Wey, and indeed the larger automotive conglomerate Great Wall Motors.
Powering the P8 is a turbo-petrol engine measuring 2.0-litres in capacity, paired up to two electric motors (one on either axle), producing a considerable combined output of 250kW and 520Nm. A six-speed dual-clutch automatic also helps send mechanical power to all four corners. The P8 can be charged to full in just 4-hours, via a standard 220V home socket. With the tanked filled and the battery juiced, total driving range is estimated around 660km.
As expected of a premium brand contending in the Chinese market, there’s a whole ton of technology here. Safety is dealt with with things like autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane-change assist, lane keeping aid, lane-departure warning, intelligent cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a video-streaming rear-view monitor, and a 360º camera system.
Jack Wey, the founder of Wey Automobiles and owner of its parent company Haval, said that the firm is making considerable headway in terms of vehicular autonomy too.
“Our concept XEV that we showed at the Frankfurt Motor Show already reached Level 3 automation, and we are on-target to reach Level 4 in the next two years. We have focused our resources on building the largest station for autonomous driving and intelligent interconnection in China, which will be operational by year end.” — Jack Wey, Founder, Wey Automobiles
There are no plans to export the Wey marque outside of China, though it’s likely that its cars will trickle down to Haval, which already has a not-inconsiderable presence in several markets around the world. Several recent Haval concepts have debuted with designs broadly similar to what we’re seeing from Wey, so perhaps that’s an indication of the brand’s strong future.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom as we bring you more updates as they come.
