Forthing Friday becomes South Africa's third REEV after the Leapmotor C10 and Changan Hunter REEV bakkie.
Forthing Friday is expected to become Dongfeng South Africa’s flagship SUV/crossover. Picture: Dongfeng
A surprise announcement in May, Dongfeng has officially opened pre-order books for its new compact crossover, the Forthing Friday.
An updated version of what its known as the Forthing T5 Evo that went on-sale in China three years ago, the Friday debuts as a range-extender electric vehicle, thereby making it the third REEV on local soil after the Leapmotor C10 and Changan Hunter REEV bakkie.
Dimensions
Likely to become Dongfeng’s flagship crossover above the electric-only 03, the Forthing Friday has the following dimensions:
- Length: 4 600 mm;
- Wheelbase: 2 715 mm;
- Height; 1 680 mm;
- Width: 1 860 mm
Claimed boot space is 480-litres, which expands to 1 480-litres with the rear seats folded flat.
REEV punch
On the power front, principle motivation comes from a 31.9-kWh battery pack powering a single electric developing 120kW/240Nm.
As with the C10, the electric hardware is charged by a normally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine, whose 75kW/130Nm is used purely as a generator and therefore, not connected to the drive wheels.
Still able to be charged similar to the plug-in hybrid, Dongfeng didn’t reveal a total power output, but did confirm an all-electric range of 200 km based on the NEDC cycle.
A Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT) is entrusted with sending the Forthing Friday’s amount of twist to the front wheels.
Spec
On the spec front, two trim levels have been confirmed, Luxury and Exclusive.
Standard on both is the following:
- 19-inch alloy wheels;
- LED headlights;
- folding electric mirrors;
- keyless entry;
- imitation leather-wrapped steering wheel;
- six-speaker sound system;
- 8.8-inch instrument cluster;
- wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto;
- 14.6-inch infotainment display;
- wireless smartphone charger
On the safety and driver assistance side, the both models are outfitted with:
- tyre pressure monitor;
- rear parking sensors;
- traction control;
- Electronic Stability Programme;
- Hill Descent Control;
- Hill Hold Assist
Reserved for the Exclusive is an electric tailgate, panoramic roof, electric front seats with heating, ventilation and massaging functions, Auto High Beam Assist and front parking sensors.
At the same, the Exclusive adds four additional airbags to the Luxury’s two for a total of six, while also swapping the reverse camera for a 360-degree surround-view system.
Also standard is Adaptive Cruise Control in place of the Luxury’s normal cruise, plus the following safety systems:
- Forward Collision Warning;
- Automatic Emergency Braking;
- Lane Departure Warning;
- Traffic Sign Recogntion;
- Lane Keep Assist
Colours
Initially, only three colours are available:
- Liberty White;
- Jade Green;
- Moonlight Black Pearl
Price?
Although still to be priced, Dongfeng has confirmed an anticipated starting price of around R559 000 for the Forthing Friday Luxury.
However, this is still to be officially approved, as are the warranty and/or maintenance plan timeframes. Expect clearer details to emerge over the coming weeks.
