Founded in 2017, the dedicated new energy vehicle brand has already started its first product for the local market, identified as the T1.
Updated last year, the T1 will be the first Arcfox model South Africa will get. Picture: Arcfox
Ahead of the still to be confirmed launch of Geely’s Zeekr brand this year, South Africa’s 23rd Chinese vehicle marque will instead come from BAIC’s Arcfox division following the discovery of its logos at a number of Gauteng dealerships.
History
Founded nine years ago as an electric vehicle-only brand, Arcfox, whose name is translated from the Mandarin ‘jihu’ meaning ‘polar fox’, produced its first model in 2017, a tiny city crossover-type coupe called the Lite that ended sales in 2020.
A complete restructuring followed, as did the roll-out of more products utilising either electric or range-extending electric powertrains.
On the way
Classified as a start-up brand in China similar to Stellantis-owned Leapmotor, Arcfox’s arrival in South Africa has gathered momentum following the mentioned sighting of its name at a certified BAIC dealer in the Randburg area of Johannesburg this past week.
Some further digging discovered a social media presence on X and Facebook under Arcfox South Africa, the former operational since 19 June and the latter from 17 June.
Of more interest is that both pages have been posting teaser images and videos of what it set to become the first Arcfox model in South Africa, the T1, which made its market debut in China last year.
What to expect?
A Volkswagen Polo-sized hatch built at Arcfox’s Zhenjiang plant, the T1 solely offers an electric powertrain, which the most recent teaser image on the Arcfox South Africa Facebook page describes as “Electric Mobility Redefined”.
Labelled in earlier posts as having been “defined by precision” and “blurring the lines between natural grace and advanced technology”, the T1 received a series of updates two months ago, which also brought a name change to Beta T1.
Dimensions
A model of which 43 500 units were sold in China last year, according to yiche.com, the T1 rides on a dedicated EV platform, with the following dimensions:
- Length: 4 337 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 770 mm;
- Width: 1 860 mm;
- Height: 1 572 mm
Spec
Its boot is able to accommodate between 459 and 1 352-litres of luggage.
The T1’s specification sheet includes other items such as:
- 17-inch alloy wheels;
- auto on/off LED headlights:
- rain sense wipers;
- imitation leather upholstery;
- keyless entry;
- push-button start;
- electric, heated and ventilated front seats;
- automatic air-conditioning;
- 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster;
- four or six-speaker sound system;
- panoramic sunroof;
- 15.6-inch infotainment display;
- voice assistant;
- embedded satellite navigation;
- wireless smartphone charging pad;
- electric tailgate
Safety and driver assistance, again depending on the trim level, is provided by:
- six airbags;
- tyre pressure monitor;
- front and rear parking sensors;
- 540-degree camera system;
- Adaptive Cruise Control;
- Lane Keep Assist;
- Traffic Sign Recognition;
- Lane Keep Assist;
- Automatic Emergency Braking;
- Hill Start Assist;
- Lane Departure Warning;
- Driver Attention Alert;
- Lane Change Assist
Up front
On the motivational front, the T1 has a choice of two battery pack options: a 33.4-kWh unit outputting 70kW/176Nm and a 42.3-kWh unit with the same torque figure, with an increase in power to 95 kW.
Arcfox claims a respective range of 320 km and 425 km, albeit in accordance with China’s often optimistic CLTC cycle.
Arrival awaited
Available in six trim levels in China, pricing starts at 62 800 yuan and ends at 130 800 yuan, which amounts to between R151 016 and R314 537 when directly converted and without taxes.
As it stands, no official details about Arcfox’s launch are known. However, given the already online social media sites, teaser images and naming at dealerships, expect an announcement in due course.
Additional information from carnewschina.com.cn.
